Girl Meets World (Season 6)
by Katy Kear
Summary: It's Senior Year! Read as the gang grows on! Make sure to read Season 4 & 5 before you read this one!
1. Chapter 1: Observations

_**Author's Note: **__Hey All! Season 6! Senior Year!_

_**[September 5, 2019]**_

**Maya's POV**

My phone started ringing.

"Why?!" I whined, blindly reaching for my phone. "Hello?" I answered.

"Hey Peaches," Riley said into the phone. "Did I wake you?"

"Yes," I said. "Why'd you call me, Riles?"

"It's the first day of Senior Year!" She said. I looked at the time.

"Riley! It's 5am!"

"So?" She asked.

"I'll see you at you at school, Riles," I said, hanging up. I fell back into the peaceful abyss of sleep.

**Riley's POV**

"Hi Peaches!" I shouted when I saw her in the hall. She was holding a coffee. She seemed to have gotten into the coffee thing over the summer. She hurried by my side.

"Did you have to shout it?" She asked.

"Sorry," I said. I'm just excited. "How was your summer?"

"Riley, we worked together almost all summer," she said.

"I know."

"On my days off, I hung out with Josh, and _you_, and my family." KC and Farkle came in. Farkle got a lot different over the summer. He gained muscle and kept some facial hair.

"Hey, Fark, looking good," Marley said. "You got him in the gym this summer, KC?"

"Marley!" KC said excitedly. They hugged. "I didn't see you all summer!"

"Where have you been?" I asked.

"I went out of state to babysit my cousins for the Summer," Marley said.

"And actually, Josh got him to the gym," KC said.

"Hey, Mar," Farkle said. He gave her a hug.

The bell rang and we all went to dad's class.

"Welcome back!" Dad said.

"How was your summer, Mr. Matthews?" Lucas asked.

"Well I still had to do school stuff, " he answered. "But other than that, it was great! What about you, Lucas?"

"Pretty good, Sir," he said.

"What will we be doing today?" Maya asked.

"Well I was thinking we could just do a free day today," Dad said. "It's the first day back, and you're seniors now. Enjoy it, 'cause tomorrow you're getting homework."

"Really?" I asked.

"Yes," he said. "Fine if you want work, write the accomplishments you have achieved in your lifetime."

"Okay," I said. I started writing stuff down.

"Oh, there is one thing I should tell you," he said. "You all should start thinking about where you want to go for your senior trip and start fundraising for it."

**KC POV**

After school, we went to work. Aaron came in with me. After Farkle and I set up the equipment, we went on stage, Aaron following.

"Hey all," I said into the mic. "Today, we're trying something different. My son, Lucas Aaron, will be playing drums with us today! He's been practicing all summer, so give him a warm welcome." All of our friends clapped.

"First song we'll be playing is a song that means a lot to us," Farkle said.

_**Oh, oh**_

Aaron started playing.

_**Oh**_

_**Oh, oh, oh**_

_**You were in college, working part-time, waiting tables/ Left a small town, never looked back/ I was a flight risk, with a fear of fallin'/ Wondering why we bother with love, if it never lasts**_

_**I say, "Can you believe it?"/ As we're lyin' on the couch/ The moment, I can see it/ Yes, yes, I can see it now**_

**Do you remember, we were sittin', there by the water?/ You put your arm around me for the first time/ You made a rebel of a careless man's careful daughter/ You are the best thing, **_**that's ever been mine**_

_**Flash forward, and we're takin' on the world together/ And there's a drawer of my things at your place/ **_**You learn my secrets and you figure out why I'm guarded**_**/ You say we'll never make my parents' mistakes**_

_**And we got bills to pay/ We got nothin' figured out/ When it was hard to take/ Yes, yes/ This is what I thought about**_

**Do you remember, we were sittin', there by the water?/ You put your arm around me for the first time/ You made a rebel of a careless man's careful daughter/ You are the best thing,**_** that's ever been mine/ **_**Do you remember all the city lights on the water?/ You saw me start to believe, for the first time/ You made a rebel of a careless man's careful daughter/ You are the best thing,**_** that's ever been mine**_

_**Oh, oh, oh, oh**_

_**And I remember that fight, two-thirty a.m.**_**/ 'Cause everything was slipping right out of our hands/**_** I ran out, crying, and you followed me out into the street/ **_**Braced myself for the goodbye,/**_** 'Cause that's all I've ever known**_**/**__**Then, you took me by surprise**_**/ You said, "I'll never leave you alone"**_

_**You said, **__"I remember how we felt, sitting by the water./ And every time I look at you, it's like the first time./ _**I fell in love with a careless man's careful daughter.**_/ _**She is the best thing **_that's ever been mine."_

_**Hold on/ And make it last/ Hold on /And never turn back**_

_**You made a rebel of a careless man's careful daughter/ You are the best thing, that's ever been mine**_

_**Do you believe it?/ **__We're gonna make it now__**/ And I can see it/ **__I can see it now_

**Maya's POV**

I went back to _Topanga's _to get the rest of the orders to take out.I recognized one the addresses.

"Really?" I asked, laughing a bit.

"What?" Mom asked.

"Josh, knows he can come in and get something, right?" I asked. "They don't live that far away."

"He requested delivery," she said. "I'm guessing to see a _specific_ delivery girl."

"He's such a dork," I said.

"I know," she said. "Don't stay too long." I face-palmed.

I got in the car and took the rest of the deliveries before going to his apartment. I knocked on the door. He opened it.

"Hey beautiful," he said.

"Hey Josh," I said.

"Sorry, I'm just working on homework," he said. "Thank you. Here's the money for it." He handed me the money in cash.

"Is the homework the only reason you ordered delivery?" I asked.

"Of course not," he said. "I was wondering if you would like to go on a picnic after you get off work."

"Sure," I said. "I'd like that." We stood there looking at each other for a while. "I should probably get back to my job."

"Huh?" He asked and blinked at few times. "Oh yeah. Yeah, you should get back to that." He ran his hand through his hair. "I love you."

"I love you too," I said. He leaned in and pecked my lips.

**KC's POV**

Maya came back in after her last run of deliveries. We were playing an original. It was the last song of the night. After we finished, Farkle and I started putting up the equipment.

"So how did Aaron convince you to let him play with you?" Riley asked.

"He's been asking all summer," I said. "I finally caved."

"He's really good," she said.

"I know," I said. "I think him playing with us should just be a once in a while thing, though. I don't want him to be put under pressure. He really seems to like it, though."

"I've gotta run, I'm going on a date with Josh," Maya said.

"Okay see you later," I said.

**Maya's POV**

Josh drove us to central park. He put the blanket down and we sat down, placing the basket between us.

"How's school going?" I asked him.

"It's going pretty good," he said. "It's a little stressful, but the time I get to spend with you takes the edge off. How was your first day of senior year?"

"Your brother gave us a free day today, basically," I said. "But he told us we should think about where we want to go for our senior trip."

"Knowing you, you'd want to do something fun and adventurous," he said.

"Yeah, but we all have to figure it out together," I said. I tapped my fingers on the basket. "So, what did you bring?"

"Well," he said, opening the basket. "We've got fried chicken, apples, a couple of sodas, and some chocolate chip cookies."

"So who made the chicken?" I asked, knowing he didn't.

"Farkle," he said. "You can't trust me cooking with oil."

"I know I can't," I laughed. "I was there when you tried, remember? You burned your hand and freaked out because of it."

"Yeah, I remember," he said. "That was so embarrassing." We both laughed. We started eating.

"Farkle is a good cook," I said.

"I know," he said. After a bit, he asked, "Hey, Maya?"

"Yeah?"

"I've been meaning to do this for a while," he said.

"Do what?" I asked.

"Well," he said. "I, um," he seemed nervous. "I got us promise rings."

"Really?" I asked. "That's so sweet!"

"I was planning on giving it to you in June," he said, "but I didn't want to freak you out after that whole thing with Riley and Lucas."

"I would have accepted a promise ring, Boing," I said.

"I didn't want you to think I was proposing," he said. "I know you're not ready for that. I was going to ask _Will you accept this promise ring?_"

"How do you know that I'm not ready?" I asked.

"You talk in your sleep a lot," he said. "And you are the kind of person who likes to enjoy the moment, not just live in it. And I know you want to finish school before we get married."

"You notice things like that," I said. "How?"

"Like I told you at the ski lodge, I've gotten pretty good at observing things," he said. "No one realizes what they give away in little things they do or say." He put the ring on my ring finger on my right hand, and his on his own.

"The sky is so beautiful tonight," I said.

"I know," he said. He put his arm around me. We laid down on the picnic blanket and looked up at the sky.

"You know something?" I asked.

"Yeah?"

"It's amazing how God paints the sky for us, and it's different every day and night," I said. "We look at everyone and everything, and we never think about how everyone and everything we see is made by a Creator that pays so much attention to detail that he makes each of us different, from our looks to our personalities."

"Looks like I'm not the only one that has gotten pretty good at observing things."

"It does look like that, doesn't it?"

"Yeah," he said. "I've got to say, though, you are one of the most beautiful creations that He's made that I've ever seen. Not just in looks, your personality is extremely beautiful too."

"Thank you," I said. "Same to you. I love you, Joshua Gabriel Matthews."

"I love you too, Maya Penelope Hunter," he answered. He kissed my head. We laid there staring at the stars.


	2. Chapter 2: Girl Meets Old Times

_**[September 9**__**th**__**, 2019]**_

**Maya's POV**

Riley and I went to Mr. Williams' class (Science class). Farkle and KC were already there. Lucas isn't here yet.

"How'd your auditions go last week?" Riley asked them.

"I think it went well," KC said.

"What did you audition for?" I asked.

"_How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying_. We're doing it this Semester in Theatre," Farkle said.

"I told you about it," KC said.

"You did?" I asked, not recalling that conversation.

"Yes," she said. "It's a really funny play."

"You saw it?" Riley asked.

"Yeah, we went with my parents this summer," Farkle said.

"So what parts did you two audition for?"

"The lead, _J. Peirpont Finch_," Farkle said, saying the name in sort of an accent.

"Can you guess what part I auditioned for?" KC asked.

"The love interest of the lead," I said. "Duh."

"Don't hold your breath, Minkus," Charlie said. "I did really good on the audition."

"Well," KC corrected.

"So you might have to kiss me if you get the part," Charlie said.

"Go away, Charlie," I said. Lucas walked in.

"Can't," he said. "I'm in this class with you."

"Well, leave us alone," I said.

"And for your information," KC said. "The only reason I auditioned for the love interest is because I know Farkle is perfect for the lead. I'm not kissed someone other than my boyfriend."

"You'll have to, babe, if we both get the parts." Lucas shot him a glare.

"Don't call me that, and not if I drop out of the play if you do," KC said sharply. _Burn_, I thought. Riley and I fought back laughter.

"Hello class!" Mr. Williams said coming into the room. "Sorry that I'm late. I was making copies for your quiz."

"That's alright, Mr. Williams," KC said.

"Thank you, KC," he said. "Now, eyes on your own paper, everyone." He handed out the quizzes."

We all took our quiz. I was the last one done, like always. The difference between now and when I was younger is I used to get stuck on one question, but now I move on and actually think about it and try it again. After class, Riley stopped us in the hall.

"Since _Topanga's_ is closed today, you all want to go hang out somewhere after school?" She asked. "You could invite Josh, Maya." I texted Josh.

"Sure," Farkle said.

"I can't, I'm taking Aaron to soccer practice," KC said.

"I'm down," I said, looking at my phone. "But Josh won't be able to go because he has to practice for a competition his club is doing."

"Okay!" Riley said happily. "Where should we go?"

"How about the snack shop at the Bleeker Street subway station?" Farkle asked.

"We haven't been there in a while," Riley said.

"Lucas, you down?" I asked him.

"I have to help my mom with stuff after school," he said. "Sorry, Riley."

"It's fine. Your mom needs your help," she said. "Hey! It'd be like old times!"

"Yeah, it would," Farkle said with a smile.

"Well, I hope you have fun," KC said.

**Riley's POV**

After school, we went over to the snack shop.

"Usuals?" Farkle asked

"Yep," I said.

"Yeah," I said.

He went to get the snacks.

**Maya's POV**

"Remember, when Farkle brought us here to decide between us?" I asked Riley.

"Yeah," I said. "He showed us just how much he cares about us."

"We've all changed since then," Riley said.

"Hey ladies," a guy said walking up with some other guy.

"Um… hi," I said.

"You don't remember us, do you?" The other one said. "It's actually funny we ran into you ladies here again."

"No," I said.

"Cisco," one of them said. "And my brother Sheldon."

"Oh," I said. _Them._ "Go away."

"Well that was rude, wasn't it Cisco?" Sheldon asked.

"Yeah," Cisco answered him. "We're just trying to offer our time to you ladies."

"And like years ago, we don't want it," I said. "Now, if you'd kindly leave us alone, that'd be nice."

Cisco got in my face. "I don't see your little friend anywhere."

"Yeah," Sheldon said, getting in Riley's face.

"He's not so little anymore," I said. "You might want to get out of here before he gets back."

"What, is he going to pull out another spider?" Cisco asked. He looked me up and down, which made my stomach turn.

"W-we have boyfriends that will beat you up if you try anything," I said. "Just leave us alone."

"I don't think so," Cisco said.

"Get away from them," Farkle said sternly. They turned towards him.

"And what will you do if we don't?" Sheldon questioned him. "Got another spider?"

"No," he said. "But just like the last time, I'm still crazy when it comes to them. They're my sisters. So walk away and leave them alone." Cisco walked up to him.

"I don't think we're going to do that," he said. Suddenly, he punched Farkle in the stomach.

"Farkle!" Riley and I shouted.

Farkle stumbled backwards but caught himself before he fell. He swung at Cisco and hit him in the eye. Sheldon ran and shoved him down, started to punch him, Farkle putting his arms up in defense. I ran to help him.

"Leave him alone," I shouted, trying to pull Sheldon away from Farkle. He swung at me and hit me in the jaw. I grabbed my jaw in pain. Riley came to my aide, and we both pulled Sheldon away from Farkle. We all three fell to the ground. From the corner of my eye, Cisco lifted a rock, standing near Farkle, ready to throw. I froze.

"Stop right there!" I heard someone yell, a familiar voice. Officer James. Cisco dropped the rock. I looked over. Officer James had his gun drawn, as did his partner.

"Both of you, on your knees, hands behind your back!" His partner said.

"We didn't do nothing," Sheldon said.

"I saw you hit that young woman," Officer James said.

"And your friend there, was attempting to strike that young man with a rock, which could have severely injured or killed him," his partner said. "You wanna call that nothing?" They put the cuffs on them and read them the Miranda Rights as they went to put them in the back of the police car. We helped Farkle get up and sit down in a chair. Officer James came back after a few minutes.

"Are you all okay?" He asked.

"Yessir," we all said.

"Can you tell me what happened?" He asked, taking out his note pad.

"Farkle went to get us snacks, and they came up to us," Riley said.

"We didn't recognize them at first, but when they introduced themselves again, we remembered them," I said. "They were trying to flirt with us."

"Remembered them from where?" Officer James asked.

"They tried flirting with us when we were in 7th grade," I said. "We rejected them, then, like we did now. They became abrasive, getting in Riley's face. This time, they got in both of our faces. The one named Cisco looked my body up and down, which really made me uncomfortable. I told them that we have boyfriends and to leave us alone. He said that they weren't going to. Farkle came back and told them to leave us alone."

"Cisco punched him in the stomach and Farkle stumbled back," I said. "Farkle punched him. Sheldon shoved him to the ground and started punching him. Maya tried to pull him away from him, and he hit her in the jaw. I helped Maya pull him away from Farkle, and we fell to the ground."

"Then Cisco went to hit Farkle with a rock," Maya said. "How did you know what was happening?"

"We got a disturbance call, describing exactly what you just described, except for the part we witnessed ourselves" Officer James said. "Now, Ms. Hunter and Mr. Minkus, I want both of you to head to the hospital and get checked out."

"Yessir," Farkle and I said.

**Josh's POV**

I went straight to Maya's apartment after Farkle told me about what happened at the snack shop. I knocked on the door. She answered.

"You okay?" I asked immediately, bringing her into a hug.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said. "No bones are broken or anything. My jaw is just sore."

I put my hand lightly on her cheek. "You have a bruise," I said. "I'm sorry, I should have been there."

"You had something with your club, you shouldn't blow it off," she said.

"If it means I could have protected you, I should have," I said.

"You shouldn't blow something off that you care about just for me," she said. That broke my heart.

"That _club_ is nowhere near as important to me as _you_ are," I said. "I like dancing, but I love you. I'm supposed to protect you." I held her hand.

"It's okay, you didn't know," she said. "I'm fine. Farkle protected us. I'm just glad Officer James and his partner showed up because when I saw Cisco had a rock, I froze."

"Did you say _Cisco_?" I asked.

"Yeah," she said. "And his brother, Sheldon."

"I went to school with those jerks," I said. "I'm so glad you're okay. I'm glad Riley didn't get hurt. And I'm glad Farkle just got the wind knocked out of him and a couple bruises on his arms. I could have protected all of you. I should have went."

"Stop," she said. "We're fine. Don't beat yourself up. I love you. I don't want you to blame yourself. It's not your fault."

"I love you too," I said. "And okay, I'll try to stop."

She looked in my eyes and leaned in. We kissed, and parted. We leaned in again and kept kissing. I put my hands on her waist, not wanting to touch her jaw and hurt her. We parted after a bit. We sat on the couch and she put her head on my shoulder. I put my arm around her and held her close.

"Thanks for coming over," she said.

"No problem," I said. "I love you." She leaned more into me.

"I love you too," she said.

_**Author's Note:**__ I saw a review that I did not approve because of language (won't put through reviews with curse words). I understand that some of you have your own opinions of certain things, but please do not attack me for what I decide to put in my fanfiction. I personally don't think it's __**stupid**__ for someone to wait until after college to get married, __**quite a few people do that**__. The Reviewer that told me that may have been referring to only Maya, but that is your opinion, I don't think it's stupid. Also I have been trying to put more Joshaya stuff, but the main reason I am is because a reader __**kindly**__ asked me to do so. I do not think Joshaya relationship is "Middle-school-ish". The way I am writing their relationship is it being a sweet and respectful relationship. _

_**Have any of you heard the Jonas Brothers' new album? What's your favorite song(s) from the album? I will be putting two of them in this Season. Can you guess which ones? **__(One of them will be in the last episode of the season, which I'm guessing you may know what that will have to do with) _

_**Also, anyone else think "Don't Throw It Away" sounds like the same style as "Break The Silence" (one of Nick's demos)?**_


	3. Chapter 3: Girl Meets Surprise

_**Author's Note: **_**To a reviewer: **_If you think Joshaya is boring in this story, that is your opinion. I will try to put more exciting things for them. I'm not trying to make them the "boring" couple, I'm sorry if you see it that way. I see it as a sweet and respectful relationship. The others are this way as well. It seems as though you don't understand why I've decided to take certain roads with certain things, such as Joshaya, Rucas, and KC & Farkle. So let me explain._

_As you know, from earlier in the (actual) series, the Secret of Life (which Cory incorrectly said was a lesson from Feeny, when it was a lesson from his brother, Eric) is "people change people". Riley and Maya have had a significant affect on each other (as the others have had affects on each other and them). Riley became more risk-taking (Rebelling against her mom [even Maya knew that was a bad idea], running away… twice [yes, I know the 'Upstate' one was technically running towards something, not away]). Maya became more responsible and compassionate (telling Topanga and Cory that they snuck out to the college party, refusing and being unable to knock the head off of the statues, realizing she doesn't need to be rebellious and bad). _

_Riley ended up taking that risk because she has become brave enough to do so. She was using mostly her heart and interpreted him wanting to get married someday as __**any someday**__. _

_Maya not being ready isn't meant as an insult. She is waiting because it's the most sensible thing for her to decide right now (to her), her mind could easily change later on. She wants to get through school first. A lot of people do this, and it's usually because it is the most responsible thing for them to do. _

_KC and Farkle are not my favorite couple, I don't have one. They are romantic, but she does not put him above her son. I haven't even been putting them on dates lately, I've mainly put them performing together, which is their job. A lot of mothers date while they have young children. I will try to show KC and Aaron's mother-son relationship more, if you'd like. _

_If you have an account, could you private message me, so I may answer you more directly? Also, if you (any one of you) could give me some ideas on what you'd like to read about with Joshaya, that would be appreciated._

_**[September 13**__**th**__**, 2019]**_

**Maya's POV**

I got back from the walk with Auggie at almost 6am. We walked into the apartment. We've started going on walks on Friday now.

"Yeah, and then Ava was like 'We're supposed to be building a house, Doy!' and he said, 'We can have a windmill, too'," Auggie said.

"I mean, he's not wrong," I said, as we hung up our jackets. "That's actually a creative thing to build with popsicle sticks."

"I know, right," he said. We turned around. Josh was sitting there with the rest of the family.

"Oh hey!" I said. "What are you doing here?"

"Came to surprise you," he said, walking up to me. "We're going on a trip today."

"I have to school today, Josh," I said.

"Nope, you have the day off," Cory said. "School is cancelled today. There's some emergency staff meeting today."

"Where are we going?"

"That is a surprise," Josh said.

"Joshua Matthews," I said. "You have something up your sleeve?"

"Maybe a few things," he said with a cheesy smile.

"So when are we leaving?" I asked.

"Right now," he said.

"You have to eat first," Topanga said. "Sit down."

"After we eat," he said. I raised my eyebrows at him. "Actually, Tope, I think we'll just grab something on the road."

"You're saying no to Topanga?" Mr. Matthews asked.

"Yeah," I said. "Sorry sis, love you."

She smiled. "See you two later."

"See you," I said, grabbing my jacket and walking out the door with Josh.

**Josh's POV**

We got on the road and grabbed some food.

"So you won't tell me where we're going?" Maya asked before taking a huge bite out of her breakfast croissant.

"Nope," I said.

"Can I ask questions?"

"Yeah, but not ones like 'where are we going?'," I said.

"Okay," she said. "Are we going out of state?"

"Yes," I said.

"Do my parents know about it?" she asked.

"Yes," I said.

"Riley?"

"Yes, the whole family except Auggie knows," I said. "He probably knows by now, though.

"What about KC?"

"Well Farkle knows, so KC should know about it by now," I said. She got out her phone. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing," she said.

"KC won't tell you," I said. "Please be patient."

"Where will we be eating lunch?"

"Depends on where we'll be at lunch time," I said. "But you can choose."

"Why did we leave so early?"

"So we can spend all day together," I said.

"Awww, how sweet!" she said.

**Riley's POV**

I went to work.

"Hey Katy," I said.

"Hey Riley," she said. "How's your morning going?"

"Pretty good," I said. "How are the twins?"

"They are doing really good," she said. KC came in with Aaron. Farkle came in after them.

"Hey," KC said.

"Aren't you off today, KC?" I asked.

"Only for the afternoon, Aaron's game isn't until 4."

"Oh okay," I said.

"What do you want for breakfast?" She asked Aaron.

"Ummm," he said, looking up and squinting his eyes. "Chocolate donut, please."

"I'll get that right away," I said. I went behind the counter and got the donut.

"Thank yooou," Aaron said.

"You're very welcome," I told him.

"Hi Grandma!" He said excitedly.

"Hey sweetie," Katy said.

"What are you doing after work?" KC asked me.

"Lucas and I are going to the carnival in Albany," I said.

"That sounds like fun," KC said. "Maybe I could take Aaron." She turned towards Aaron, "You want to go to the Carnival after your game?"

"Yeah!" He almost shouted.

"How late is it open?"

"10 pm," I said.

"So did Josh tell you he's taking Maya to Indianapolis?" KC asked.

"Yeah," I said. "He was really excited about it."

"He definitely really loves her to make an 11 hour drive just to surprise her with taking her to a Jonas Brothers concert," Farkle said.

"Well, she does love their music," I said.

"He doesn't really like much of their music, but he does like some of it, including from this album," Farkle said.

"I told him to call me when they stop for lunch, when they get back on the road, when they get to Indianapolis, and when they leave the venue, and to have her call me to say goodnight. Oh and to call me when they leave tomorrow," Katy said. We all gave her a look. "What? Gotta make sure my baby girl is safe."

"You don't trust Josh?" I asked.

"I trust _him _completely," she said. "I don't trust idiot drivers or crazy people at concerts."

"Wait, Shawn's okay with them staying in a hotel together?" I asked.

"Josh rented a room with two beds," she said. "And Shawn made sure to talk to him about that. He just wants to see her have fun at the concert."

"Oh okay," I said.

"Honestly, I'd probably be just as worried if it was Aaron was going across the country," KC said. "By the way, mom, how are you going to react if Maya or I go to college out of state?"

"Back to work," Katy said with a laugh.

**Josh's POV**

We stopped in Pittsburg to get lunch. She picked out a small diner. I called her mom to let her know that we stopped for lunch. When we got our food, we talked while eating.

"So what's with this big surprise?" She asked.

"I just want to wow you sometimes," I said. "You deserve it."

"You don't need to impress me, Josh," she said.

"I know you, Maya," I said. "You love adventure. I thought it would be great to take you on one."

"True," I said. "By the way, I'll pay for lunch."

"This is for you," I said.

"I know," she said. "But the fact that I'm pretty sure we're going pretty far, which is most likely costing you a fortune. I'd like to lighten the burden. I don't want you to go broke."

"Is that why you picked a diner instead of somewhere like Olive Garden?" I asked.

"A little, but the main reason is I grew up on diner food, I guess it feels like home to me," she said. "As nice as it would be to go to Olive Garden, I'd rather save money and go somewhere that I can be myself at."

"Here's your sundaes, kids," the waitress said, who was probably around my parents' ages. "One chocolate, one caramel. And here's some chocolate syrup if you need it."

"We're not really—" I started.

"Shhh," Maya said. "Thank you, ma'am."

"You're welcome, sweetie," the waitress said. "And honey, I call thirty-year-olds kids. Guess it's just my age," she laughed.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean—" I started.

"It's alright, no harm done. Let me give you some advice. Hold on to being young as long as you can," she said. "And even when it's mostly gone, keep a piece of that young man," she looked at Maya, "or young woman, with you for as long as you can. Because once you let go of them, they will be gone forever."

"Thank you," Maya said fondly, with the sweetest smile I've ever seen her have.

"Yeah, thank you," I said. "Thank you for being so kind to us. You're a great waitress."

"Well, that just made my day," she said. She walked away to take someone else's order.

"Well she's really nice," I said, turning back towards Maya. I was met with her shoving my caramel sundae into my face. I let it drop back to the table and smiled. I grabbed the chocolate syrup and squeezed it in her face. We both started laughing. She grabbed what was left of my sundae and mixed it into hers. I raised my eyebrows. She handed me a spoon and grabbed one herself.

"Wait," she said. She scooted her chair next to mine. "I've always wanted to do this." She took out her phone. We kissed, and she took a picture. I looked over and the waitress was smiling. We ate the rest of out sundae and went to our respective bathrooms to clean up. Maya paid, and I left a twenty dollar tip for the waitress.

When we got back in the car, Maya said, "You know that will help her a lot, right?"

"Yeah," I said. "You know something?"

"What's that?"

"You've taught me a lot," I said. We got back on the road.

**Riley's POV**

We were getting close to closing time, and Lucas came in.

"How was Aaron's game?" I asked.

"0 to 2," he said. "Aaron's team won. He made both goals."

"Awesome!" I said.

"Where's Farkle?" he asked.

"At his business class at NYU," I said.

"Oh yeah, he's doing dual credit."

"Yep," I said.

"Hey, Mrs. Hunter," Lucas greeted Katy.

"Hi Lucas," she said. "You two can go on ahead, I'll close up. There's only a few minutes."

"You sure?" I asked.

"Yeah," she said. "Go ahead."

We went to the carnival. I immediately eyed the cotton candy. Lucas saw and got both of us one each. We went on the Ferris Wheel.

**KC's POV**

I took Aaron home, so he could change his clothes. He got into a t-shirt and jeans, and I helped him into his shoes. We got back into the car and headed to the carnival.

"What do you want to do first?" I asked him when we got there.

"Darts!" He said. We went over to the darts booth and waited in line.

"Remember, how many ever balloons you hit, you get that many prizes," the guy at the booth said. His nametag said _Oliver_.

When it was his turn, I gave Oliver $2, and he gave Aaron the darts. Aaron hit one of the balloons with a dart. He picked out a pony plush.

"Mommy, you should try," Aaron said.

"Okay," I said. I gave Oliver two more dollars. He handed me the darts, I hit all four of the balloons.

"Nice job, lady!" Oliver said. "What's your secret?"

"I've just always had a good aim," I said. "I was on the archery team in junior high."

"Well, go ahead and pick your prizes," he said. I picked them out. We went on to other booths. I let Aaron choose all of them.

**Maya's POV**

We got to Indianapolis at about 7 pm. Josh called my mom and told her we were here.

"What are we doing in Indianapolis?" I asked, as we stopped at a hotel.

"Let's check in, then I'll tell you," he said. He got out of the car and I followed suit.

He grabbed two duffle bags out of the trunk.

"What's that?" I asked.

"My clothes," he said, holding up one of them. "And yours," he said holding up the other one.

"Let me guess, my mom helped you pick out clothes?"

"Yes," he said. We went in and he checked us in. We got into the room.

"Thank you for doing two beds," I said.

"Well, duh," he said. "Shawn checked my plans for the whole trip. And I'm more comfortable with two beds, anyways."

"Me too. So why are we here?" I asked.

He reached into his back pocket and handed me some papers. "This is why," he said. I unfolded them. My eyes grew wide.

"You're taking me to a _Jonas Brothers_ concert?!" He stood there smiling. I hugged him.

"Yeah," he said.

"Wait, you drove almost thirteen hours to do this?" I asked. "_All_ for me?"

"Of course," he said. "Anything to see your smile."

I hugged him again. "Thank you," I said. "I love you."

"I love you too," he said. "We should probably get changed then head to the concert."

He went to the bathroom to change. We went to the concert and went through security and took our seats. After a bit, it started. About halfway through the concert Josh lifted me up on his shoulders. We sang along and had a lot of fun. He held me when they sang "Love Her" and sang along in my ear. After we got out of the parking lot, we went back to the Hotel.

When we got into the room, I said, "That was so much fun!"

"I know," he said. "This is why I did this. Getting to see that smile is the best thing in my world."

"I love you," I said. He kissed me in the forehead.

"I love you too," he said. He laid down on one of the beds. I sat down on mine.

"You know what the best part of the concert was?" I asked. No answer. "Josh?" I looked over, and I saw he had fallen asleep. I went over to him and slowly pulled the blanket over him. I turned off the light and went to bed too.


	4. Chapter 4: Girl Meets Plans

_**[September 23**__**rd**__**, 2019]**_

**Riley's POV**

I went to my dad's class and sat down.

"Morning class!" Dad said. "Have any of you thought about what you want to do for you Senior trip?"

"Canada," Maya said.

"Yes?" Farkle said, jokingly. She looked at him weird.

"Remember? I'm Canada," he said. She looked at him confused. "Because I'm your ally, remember?"

"Oh yeah," she said, remembering when he compared himself to Canada in 7th grade.

"Why Canada?" Dad asked.

"There's this cool place in Canada where we can camp out and swim in a lake and stuff," she said. "It would be pretty cheap, we'd only need to raise money for passports, camping supplies, gas money, and group camping."

"But who would want to go camping for a senior trip?" Sarah asked.

"I would," Lucas said.

"Me too," KC said.

"It could be fun," Farkle said.

"Okay, who likes Maya's idea?" Dad asked. Everyone except Sarah raised their hands.

"What is this place?"

"Grundy Lake Provincial Park in Sauble Beach, Canada," Maya said. Sarah took out her phone.

"It's beautiful," Sarah said. "Okay, I'm on-board."

"Yay!" Maya said.

"Okay, that's settled," dad said. "Now, I want to do something that I think will be interesting."

"What would that be, Matthews?" Maya asked. "And will it be interesting to us?"

"I want you all to tell everyone your plans after high school, if you have any," he said. "It will be recorded, and at the end of school, before graduation, you will tell us your plans again, and we will see how different they are."

"That does sound interesting," Lucas said.

"Of course it does to you, Huckleberry," Maya said.

"It doesn't to you?" Lucas asked her.

"No," she said. "Because it won't change that much in just months."

"You would be surprised," dad said. "Now, who's first?"

"Me," I said, raising my hand.

"Okay," he said. I went the front and he went back to the camera and it record.

"I plan on going to NYU for college," I said. "I'm not sure what my major will be yet, or if I'll be going for an associates or bachelor's degree, I'm still trying to decide. But I know, someday, whether during college or after, I hope to marry and have children with the love of my life." I looked at Lucas. He smiled. Dad stopped the camera.

"Okay, who's next?" he asked.

"I'll go," Maya said. She went to the front and dad hit record again. "I am planning on obtaining a Bachelor of Fine Arts at the Tyler School of Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania."

"Any other plans?" dad asked.

"Yeah, I'll be staying with your parents, if I get in," Maya said. "Glad I know people there." She smiled at my dad. He stopped the camera.

"Next," he said.

"I'll go," Darby said walking to the front. Dad started recording. "I plan on applying to different colleges including NYU, New Mexico Highlands University, and others."

"Why would you be going to New Mexico?" I asked.

"It's supposed to be a really great school," she said. "My cousin goes there, and I can live with Aunt too."

"Any other plans?" Dad asked.

"Not right now," she said.

"Okay, whosever's next."

"Can Isadora and I go up together?" Zay asked.

"Sure," dad said. They went up to the front, and he hit record.

"Isaiah and I both applied early action to Princeton University," Smackle said.

"If we are accepted, I will be majoring in Dance and she will be majoring in Social Science, concentrating in Sociology," Zay said.

"Alright," dad said. "Next." Marley went to the front.

"After high school, I will be enlisted in the US Army," she said.

"And what led you to this decision?" Dad asked.

"I've always wanted to do something like this," she said.

Lucas went to the front after her.

"I will be applying to Texas A&M University, majoring in Veterinary Medicine," he said. "I have looked at other programs, and this one seems like the best fit for me. I will be applying to other colleges, but I am hoping to be accepted to this one."

Everyone else presented their plans. Both KC and Farkle said they'd both be applying to NYU. Yogi said he would most likely be applying to NYU.

**Farkle's POV**

"Good afternoon, Farkle," Katy said as I walked in to _Topanga's_. Riley was already working.

"How are you today?"

"It's been quite a rush. Glad Topanga hired that college student for the morning," she said.

"Andrew," I said. "He's one of Josh's friends. Is he a good worker?"

"Yeah," she said. "Where's KC?"

"She got today off," I said. "She's taking Aaron to a birthday party. His friend, James, I think."

"Brown hair? Freckles?" She asked. "Front tooth missing?"

"Yeah," I said.

"That's how I remember people until I get to know them," she said. "Riley was 'the girl that always smiles', 'Topanga's daughter', and of course 'Maya's best friend'."

"What about me?" I asked.

"You were 'the kid who always wears science shirts' and 'Maya's other best friend'," she said. "Now you're 'KC's boyfriend' if I forget your name." We both laughed.

I set up the equipment and started playing "Critical" by the Nick Jonas.

**Riley's POV**

It had been a couple of hours since I got to work.

"What can I get you?" I asked after walking up to a table with two men, that looked somewhat older than Josh, were sitting.

"Two chocolate donuts and two strawberry-banana smoothies," one of the men said. "And make it quick." I grabbed their donuts and took it to them while Katy made their smoothies.

"We ordered smoothies too, lady," the other guy said.

"I know, sir, they'll be right out," I said.

"What's taking so long?" The first one asked. I looked back and saw that Katy was pouring their drinks into the cups.

"I'll bring them to you right now," I said. I went and grabbed the cups.

"Stay calm," Katy whispered to me. I took their drinks to them.

"About time," the first man said.

"It takes some time to make homemade smoothies, sir," I tried to explain.

They each took a drink of their smoothies.

"Apparently not right," the second one said. They took their lids off.

"If you don't mind me asking, what's wrong with the smoothies?" I asked as politely as I could. They threw their drinks on me. My mouth went agape.

"Get your manager," the first one said. I went over to Katy. They were obviously just being jerks to be jerks.

"I'll handle it," she said. "Go get cleaned up. There are extra shirts in the back."

**Farkle's POV**

I saw those guys throw their drinks on Riley. I immediately stopped playing. Katy went over to the table. She was definitely upset. We shared a look and I went to check on Riley as Katy started to talk to them.

"Riley, are you okay?" I asked going to the back.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said, inconvincibly, from the employee bathroom.

"I know you, Riley," I said. "We've been best friends since first grade."

"You never told me why you've loved me since the first grade," she said.

"You never looked at me like a weirdo, you saw me as a person," I said. "You showed me that you cared about me from the start. You didn't try to make me change."

"Well, yeah," she said. "I'm just was weird as you." We both laughed.

"It's weird how when we were kids, it was hard to differ between different kinds of love," I said. "Now I know how I feel."

"And how's that?"

"You and Maya," I said. "I love you like sisters. Which is funny because Maya may actually end up my sister in a sense," We both laughed. "But KC is a completely different story, I'm completely in love with her. She's the one I want to marry someday."

"And have your eleven children?" She asked, jokingly.

"Maybe I'll cut that down to like 5," I laughed. "How many God decides to give us, I guess, whether that be two or eleven, including Aaron of course."

"I'm coming out now," she said. She opened the door. Her eyes were a little puffy.

"You okay?"

"I've just never had customers treat me that way," she said. "I guess it just shocked me so much I wanted to cry."

"You've seemed really anxious since last semester, so I don't think it was just this," I said. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure," she said.

"I know you love Lucas," I said. "But why did you ask him to marry you? I know you weren't ready."

"Because I wanted us to get married," she said.

"Why?"

"You heard him today," she said. "He's not going to NYU. He told me that last semester. Long distance relationships are hard. What if we're not strong enough to make it."

"You thought it would make him stay here if you got married," I said. "Like your mom proposing to your dad, and staying for him. Riley, I know you two. You are strong enough. Don't try to rush into something that you're not ready for."

"Thanks, Farkle," she said. We hugged. "You will always be one of my best friends."

"I know," I said. "We should probably get back to work now."

We went back to the front.

"You okay, Riley?" Katy asked her.

"Yeah," she said. "I'll be fine."

"Well, those boys are not welcome here anymore, the boss said," Katy said. Riley smiled. I went back to playing music. Thankfully, the rest of the customers were respectful.


	5. Chapter 5: Girl Meets Honesty

_**[October 12**__**th**__**, 2019]**_

**Maya's POV**

Topanga gave me today off. I watched the twins until Shawn got back from his morning shoot. I made some sandwiches for lunch and went over to Josh and Farkle's apartment and knocked on the door around noon. Josh answered the door, shirtless, rubbing his eyes.

"Did you just wake up?" I asked.

"Yeah," he said. "I worked the graveyard shift at the truck stop."

"Well, I brought you lunch," I said, holding my fabric lunch box.

"Thanks," he said. "Come in, I'll be right out." I went in and sat at the kitchen table while he went to get dressed. I set the lunch box on the table.

**Riley's POV**

Andrew and I are both bussing tables and Katy is making the smoothies. Farkle and KC was playing songs. Andrew had just finished taking an order to a table when I heard a buzz. He looked at his phone. He went over to talk to Katy and went to the back. I continued taking orders.

**Maya's POV**

Josh and I were eating the sandwiches.

"So how is college going?" I asked.

"Good," he said. "My friend Andrew, remember him?"

"Yeah, he was there when I professed my love to you," I laughed. "And he's working at _Topanga's_. What about him?"

"Well he's in his second year of his master's degree," he said. "And he's engaged to this girl. She was in his grade. I don't think she's good for him."

"Why?" I asked, taking another bite.

"Well," he said. "She likes to flirt with other guys, and she's cheated on him before."

"Why did he stay with her, let alone get engaged to her?" I asked.

"He keeps giving her chance after chance, and I think he thinks getting engaged would stop her from cheating," he said. "I just hope he doesn't go through with it. He's torturing himself."

"Wait, she hasn't tried to flirt with you, has she?" I asked.

"She has, but I told her that I have a girlfriend and started showing her pictures," he said. "She tried to flirt with Farkle, too. He told her he has a girlfriend that he's absolutely in love with, then put in earbuds and left the room when she kept trying even though I told her to stop. I finally told Andrew not to bring her around."

"I really want to slap this girl," I said. Josh laughed. "I'm glad you and Farkle aren't stupid guys that would fall for that."

"I love you," he said. "I am not going to put myself in a position to lose you. That would be the dumbest thing I could ever do."

"I love you too," I said. "How was your sandwich?"

"Good, as always," he said.

"Too much mayonnaise again?" I asked.

"I've gotten used to it," he said. "I actually like it now."

"You mean it?" I asked.

"Yeah," he said, smiling. "Can we talk about something?"

"Of course," I said. I got a little worried.

"Are you sure you want to wait until after college to get married?" He asked.

I exhaled. "I honestly don't know anymore."

"I'm just wondering because I do want to marry you someday," he said. "And I'll wait until you're ready. I just don't want you to wait just because that's the 'grown-up' thing to do."

"I hope me not being ready makes you think I don't love you," she said.

"That didn't even cross my mind, Maya," he said. I looked in his eyes. "You don't _have_ to be ready at any time. We can wait until you finish college or right after you get out of high school. We could wait 10 years, I don't care. I would never want you to feel like you have to jump at it when you're not ready. I'm not going anywhere."

"I guess I'm just not ready right now," I said. "I don't know when I will be."

"I'll try to keep a look out for the signs that you are," he said. We both smiled.

"I love you," I said.

"I love you too," he said.

**Riley's POV**

Andrew had been in the back for a while. There were no customers, so Katy asked me to see if he was okay. I went to the back and heard crying I stopped.

"No, I can't keep letting you brush this stuff under the rug," he said. "You said you wouldn't do this again. _You Promised!_" I stood there, I had no idea what to do. "No, you don't love me. If you loved me you wouldn't cheat on me! I was so stupid to keep giving you chances," he said. "We're over, Miranda. No, we can't talk about it. We're done. Don't contact me again." I heard a click, which must mean he ended the call.

"Are you okay, Andrew?" I asked.

He turned around. "Oh, um, I've been on the phone for a while, haven't I?"

"Yeah, thirty-some minutes, I think," I said.

"Oh great! I am so sorry!" He said. "I'm probably going to get fired for this."

"My mom isn't like that," I said. "Are you okay?"

"I will be," he said. "I shouldn't have stayed with her."

"Go ahead and get cleaned up," I said. I went back to the front.

"Is he okay?" Katy asked.

"I'll just tell you that he had a really personal call," I said. "If you need to know more, you should probably ask him."

He came back to the front and started working again.

"Of course," she said.

**Maya's POV**

It was around 4pm now.

"What do you want to do now?" I asked.

"We can watch some movies," he said. I agreed. We made popcorn and sat down and started looking through movies to watch.

**Farkle's POV**

KC, Aaron, and I went bowling and ordered pizza.

"Strike!" KC shouted after Aaron made a strike. "My baby made a strike!" She wrapped him in a hug.

"_Mom_," Aaron said in embarrassment.

"Sorry buddy," she said.

"Such a cute family!" A lady near us said.

"Thank you," KC said. Aaron started giggling. I looked over at her and smiled. "Could you actually get a picture of us?"

"Sure," the lady said. KC handed her her phone. We stood next to each other and Aaron stood in the middle of us. She snapped the picture of us. We kept bowling until Aaron got too tired to at about 9pm. I drove them home and went back to my apartment.

I let myself in and saw Josh and Maya asleep on the couch with _Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs _still playing on the tv. I turned off the tv, and texted Katy that Maya had fallen asleep watching a movie with Josh, so she and Shawn wouldn't worry about her. I locked the door and went to bed with a smile on my face.

_**Author's Note:**__ Figured I'd throw a KC and Farkle scene in this chapter. I will be putting less of them in this story, but I think you'll like the parts with them in it. Hope you liked this Chapter!_


	6. Chapter 6: Girl Meets Fun(d) Ideas

_**[October 16**__**th**__**, 2019]**_

**Maya's POV**

I walked into school and heard Lucas yelling.

"You're not in control of my life!" He yelled.

"You're being stupid! What do you expect me to do?" Riley yelled back.

"I expect you to support me, not try to tear me down," he yelled.

"I'm not trying to tear you down," she yelled. "You just don't care about what I want!"

"What about what _I_ want?!" He yelled back at her. "My world doesn't revolve around you, Riley."

"I never said it did," she yelled.

"You're sure acting like it!" He said. "I am _done_ with this conversation." He walked away.

I walked up to Riley.

"Another fight?" I asked.

"I don't want to talk about it," she said. "We should get to class."

**Zay's POV**

"She tried to tell me she won't let me join the football team. I'm joining because they asked me to, and they're out one player. She acts like I'm being stupid, like she did in freshman year," Lucas said.

"This is the fifth fight you've had this semester," KC said. "Why are you fighting so much?"

"I don't know," Lucas said. "Do you think she's still mad about me not wanting to get married yet?"

"She shouldn't be," I said. "You two made up."

"I don't know what's gotten into her," Lucas said.

Riley and Maya entered the classroom. Farkle walked in after them. Mr. Matthews started talking.

"We need to start figuring out what we will be doing for fundraisers," Mr. Matthews said.

"Bake sale," Maya said.

"A raffle," Farkle said. "We could get people to donate things for it."

"Good idea, Farkle," Mr. Matthews said.

"What about a kissing booth?" Sarah asked.

"Who would be comfortable with doing that?" Mr. Matthews asked. Sarah and Marley raised their hands. "Any guys? We'll probably have a booth each for girls and guys." Brandon and Yogi raised their hands.

"Yogi, aren't you with Darby?" Riley asked.

"No," Darby said. "He's not." She glared at Yogi.

"We broke up," Yogi said.

"Wow," I said. "You two have been together for a long time."

"Yeah, but apparently, one mistake can change that," Yogi said.

"It's not a mistake if it's on purpose," Darby said. "Of course you'd want to do the kissing booth. I wonder if _she'll_ show up."

"Okay, so…," I said. "Are we doing both the kissing booths and the raffle?"

"Why not," Riley said. "We need the money."

"Everyone in agreement?" Mr. Matthews asked. Everyone nodded their heads.

"What about my bake sale idea?" Maya asked. "Wait, scratch that! Car wash!"

"Good idea, Maya," Mr. Matthews said. "Who wants to do a car wash too?" Everyone raised their hands.

**Maya's POV**

I went to work, and Josh was there.

"Hello," I said. "Aren't you supposed to be in class?"

"Class was cancelled today," he said. "My professor is sick."

"I can't wait 'til I'm in college," I joked. He laughed a little.

"You only have like ten months," he said. I smiled. We stared at each other for a bit.

"Earth to Maya," mom said. I looked over. "I have couple of orders ready for you to deliver."

"Okay, thanks mom," I said. "I gotta go," I told Josh. I grabbed the orders to take out.

**Josh's POV**

I watched Maya leave. KC and Farkle came in and started to set up the equipment.

"Sorry to ruin your moment, but duty calls," Katy said.

"It's fine," I said. "I understand. How are the twins doing?"

"Great!" She said. "Johnathan started walking already! He's still a little wobbly, but he's walking, nonetheless."

"What about Ang?" I asked.

"She's not walking yet, but she said 'dada' to Shawn the other day," she said. "He got tears in his eyes."

"He loves being a dad," I said. "He'll start up a conversation about them when I go to get Maya for a date. It's actually really sweet."

"Yeah, it is," she said. "He adores all of his girls and his little boy." She looked over at KC. Her and Farkle started playing.

"He really liked me when I was younger," I said. "Wonder what happened." I laughed a little.

"Oh stop," she said. "He still like you. We're both glad Maya is with you. We can really tell that you love her."

"That I do," I said. "She's amazing, Katy."

"And it helps that Shawn has known you your whole life," she said. "Honestly, if it were someone neither of us knew, we would have been a lot more skeptical. But we can trust you."

"Thanks, Katy," I said. Andrew came in.

"Sorry that I'm late, my car wouldn't start," he said. "Hey Josh."

"Hey."

"That's alright," Katy told him. "You're only late a few minutes, and no one has come in for about an hour, just some deliveries." Andrew started working, wiping off tables. Katy put pastries in the oven.

"So, Farkle has been talking _a lot_ about KC and Aaron lately," I said, looking to make sure they couldn't hear me.

"Really?" She said.

"Yeah, you know that night Maya accidentally slept over and Farkle texted you about it?"

"Yes," she said.

"He told me the next day that someone at the bowling alley said they were a cute family," I said.

"Oh, that's sweet," she said.

"Yeah, he said that no one has ever acknowledged them that way before," I said. "He had the biggest smile on his face when he told me that."

"He really does love them," she said. "You can see it in his eyes. You can see it in hers. I can see it in yours and Maya's too. That is all I've ever wanted for my daughters, someone to give them that kind sparkle in their eyes."

"Thanks, Katy," I said.

**Riley's POV**

I waited for Lucas in my Bay Window. He appeared at my window.

"You wanted to talk?" He asked.

"Yes," I said. He sat at the Bay Window with me.

"Why don't you want me to play football?" He asked.

"It's dangerous," I said.

"So let me get this straight, you don't want me to play football because it is sometimes dangerous," he said, "even though bull riding is like 100 or more times dangerous, but you had no problem with me doing that."

"I didn't want to stop you from honoring your family," I said.

"And you made sure to make it clear that I had to do it to honor my grandfather," he said. "Instead of actually caring about my safety and at least being worried."

"Don't turn it to that, we're not talking about that," I said. "I just don't want you to make stupid decisions. You're starting to get a track record."

"Football isn't a stupid decision," he said.

"Yes it is and so is A&M," I said.

"Wow," he said. "You don't support anything I decide anymore, do you?"

"You'd rather be in Texas than with me, it's pretty clear," I said.

"That has _nothing _to do with it," he said. "I love you, you know that. Stop being a brat."

"Oh, now I'm a brat?!" I asked angrily.

"You've been one all summer," he said. "I can't do this right now. I'm doing football. Call me when you have an attitude check." He left out the window.

**Maya's POV**

I saw Huckleberry leave from Riley's window. He didn't look happy. I crawled in.

"Hey, Riles," I said. "What's up with Ranger Rick?"

"He's mad that I don't want him doing stupid things," she said.

"Like what?"

"Football and A&M," she said.

"How are those stupid?"

"He should want to stay here with me," she said. "And football is dangerous."

"Bull riding is more dangerous," I said. "I mean you know what happened with his dad. And Riley, he's dreamed of going to that school since he was little."

"Why did both of you have to mention bull riding?" She asked. "And I know that, Maya."

"I'm not going to NYU either," I said.

"Don't remind me," she said, sounding annoyed. "Just go, Maya."

I climbed out the window and left.

**Riley's POV**

I sat there. _If I don't control things, he could slip again. __**I**__ could slip again_, I thought.

I shut my window and turned off the light and sat in the Bay Window again.

_**Author's Note:**_ _What's going on with Riley? What do you think she means by "__**I**__ could slip again"? Something unexpected will be revealed in the next chapter. What do you think that will be?_


	7. Chapter 7: Girl Meets Too Much

_**[October 19**__**th**__**, 2019]**_

**Maya's POV**

Auggie and I got back from our Saturday walk and Riley asked to talk to me at the Bay Window, so I went up to her room.

"Hey Peaches," she said _too_ sweetly.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"The reason I'm so upset about Lucas going to A&M and you going to Philly is because it feels like I'm being abandoned," she said. "You're two of the closest people I have."

"We're not abandoning you," I said. "We just have our own lives and dreams we need to follow. I'll always be your best friend."

"We'll see after I tell you this because you're going to hate me," she said. "When you feel abandoned you do stupid, stupid things. You're the only person I trust to tell. You can't tell anyone. Ring Power."

"Okay," I said. "How bad could it be?"

"Bad." She took a few breaths. "The day after Lucas told me that he didn't want to get married, I…I was still really upset, I felt betrayed, abandoned," she said. I nodded. She breathed more with tears coming to her eyes. "I went on a walk an hour before school, and I…"

"What happened, Riles?" I asked, concerned.

"I cheated on him, Maya," she said.

"What?" I was completely shocked. "Like _kissed_ another guy?" I asked, hopefully.

"No," she said.

"Riles," I said.

"And this is why you're going to hate me."

"Why would I hate you?"

"It was with Charlie," she said. Anger boiled up in me.

"Charlie?!" I shouted. "After I told you he basically kidnapped me?!"

"I know how it sounds, Maya," she said. "I wasn't trying to cheat. We just started talking and he kissed me, and I kissed him back and it…_went_ from there."

"I can't believe you'd let that happen, Riley," I said. "Especially with _him_."

"I know," she said. "I regretted it right after."

"You have to tell Lucas."

"I'm never telling him," she said. "I'll lose him. I love him."

"If you loved him you'd be honest with him," I told her. "You betrayed me by doing that, but most of all, you betrayed him." I left out of the window. "Stop being selfish, Riley. This isn't you."

**Farkle's POV**

Maya walked into work. She was visibly upset.

"You okay, Maya?" I asked.

"No," she said.

"What's wrong?" KC asked.

"I can't talk about it," she said. Riley came in. Maya got the deliveries from her mom and hurried out. It seemed like she was trying to avoid Riley.

"Are you and Maya in another fight?" I asked.

"Not exactly," Riley said.

"What does that mean?" I asked.

"Just leave it alone," she said. We continued on with the music, and she started taking people's orders. I wondered what in the world could have happened.

"This next song was requested by our buddy, Andrew," I said. We started playing. KC played the main guitar on her keyboard.

_**Strugglin' to find a reason why you came tonight/ You know you weren't invited/ I think you're just trying to mess with my mind/ Tell me why you're in the dress you used to wear for me/ You're sippin' on a stranger, and staring me down/ Now I just can't leave**_

_**You're a forest fire, dancing with the wind/ You're gonna raise me down again**_

**Girl, you're just too much, too much for me/ You're pickin' at my scars/ 'Til I fall apart/ Girl You're just too much, too much for me/ You hit me when I'm hurt/ There's nothing left to burn down**

_**You know you can't expect me to forgive and just forget/ I don't get where they get the crazy idea that we're not done yet/ Don't you ask me how I've been, you've never cared before/ You threw me on the pyre, but you're not giving up 'cause you still want more**_

_**I'm a simple man/ And you crossed the line/ But I won't let you fool me twice**_

**Girl, you're just too much, too much for me/ You're pickin' at my scars/ 'Til I fall apart/ Girl, you're just too much, too much for me/ You hit me when I'm hurt/ There's nothing left to burn down**

_**What I got to do to get you out my life/ Is this what I deserve for trying to me kind?/ I don't want to do/ What you want me to/ ooooooooo Ah AhAhAhAhAh**_

**Girl, you're just too much, too much for me/ You're pickin' at my scars/ 'Til I fall apart/ Girl, you're just too much, too much for me/ You hit me when I'm hurt/ There's nothing left to burn down**

**Girl, you're just too much, too much for me/ You're pickin' at my scars/ 'Til I fall apart/ Girl, you're just too much, too much for me/ You hit me when I'm hurt/ And now there's nothing left to burn down/ Oh, there's nothing left to burn down**

**Auggie's** **POV**

Ava came over to play. We decided to play a board game. She ended up flipping the board.

"You cheated somehow!" She said, angrily.

"No, I didn't," I said. "You're just mad you lost." She started crying.

"I know, I'm sorry Auggie," she said. "Please don't yell at me."

" I didn't," I said, confused. She stopped crying.

"I'm going to the bathroom, Auggie," she said.

"Okay," I said. After a little bit, I heard her scream. I ran to the bathroom door. "Ava?! Are you okay?!" I asked, scared by her scream.

I'm bleeding!" She said.

"From where?" I asked. "What happened?"

"I don't think I should tell you that," she said. "Call someone!" I grabbed my phone and called my mom.

**Topanga's POV**

My personal cell rang. I saw it was Auggie. I answered.

"Auggie, is everything alright?"

"No!" He yelled into the phone. "She's bleeding!"

"Did she cut herself?" I asked.

"I don't know," he said. "She went to the bathroom. I heard her scream and she said she was bleeding but won't tell me where." It dawned on me what was happening.

"Where's your dad?" I asked.

"He went to the school an hour ago," he said. _Ugh!_

"Give Ava the phone, please," I told him.

"But she's bleeding," he said.

"Just give her the phone, August," I said.

"Hello?" Ava asked.

"Ava, can you tell me what's going on?"

"I came to go to the bathroom, to go pee, and when I wiped, there was blood," she said. My assumptions were correct.

"Okay, first, I want you to know this is completely normal," I told her. "Almost all women go through this. It's just your body's way of getting itself ready for certain things. You're just an early bloomer. Now I want you to open the cabinet under the sink."

"Okay," she said. "Now what?"

"There are pads in a bag," I said. "Get one, unwrap it, and put it, sticky-side-down, on your underwear. It will soak up the blood."

"Okay," she said. After a bit, she said, "Done. What else?"

"You'll have to replace the pad every so often, when it gets full," I said. "I will talk to you more about it when I get off of work."

"Okay, thanks Topy," she said.

"Did your mother never discuss this with you?" I asked.

"No," she answered. "I should probably let you go now."

"I will talk to you later, Ava," I said.

"Thanks again, Topy," she said. "Love you." I smiled.

"Love you too," I said. I hung up the phone.

**Maya's POV**

I got back to _Topanga's _after my last delivery.

"I'll see you guys later," I told KC and Farkle, clocking out. I walked out.

**Farkle's POV**

"Riley, why is Maya so upset at you?" I asked.

"None of your business," she said. "I'll see you later." She walked out. I looked over at KC, and she shrugged. We put up the equipment and clocked out and closed up, letting Katy leave before us.

_**Author's Note: **__Bet you're surprised that your first thought was correct. As I said, it was something completely unexpected of Riley. Good people make bad decisions sometimes. _

_The song that Farkle & KC perform is Dalton Cyr's new song "Too Much". Really good song. _


	8. Chapter 8: Girl Meets Hurt

_**[October 21**__**st**__**, 2019]**_

**Riley's POV**

I waited for Lucas to walk into school. He finally did. He walked up to me.

"Hey Riley," he said, kissing me on the cheek.

"Hey," I said. "Can we talk? In private?"

"Yeah, sure," he said. We went to an empty classroom. I closed the door. "So, what's up?"

"I need to tell you something," I said.

"Why you've been someone else lately?" He asked.

"Kind of," I said. "After we got back together, I guess I felt like I had to control things, or it'd go wrong. But it didn't work, it did go wrong."

"What went wrong, Riley?"

"We did, I did, and it's all my fault," I said. "And I ruined everything."

"Riley, we're still together," he said. "It's hard, but we just need to get back into the groove."

"We can't, Lucas, it will never be exactly the same," I told him. "Especially after what I did."

"Riley, you can change the control-freak thing," he said. "Especially since you recognize it as a problem."

"That's not what I'm talking about," I said. "I did something horrible." I looked away. _I can't believe I'm about to tell him this_, I thought.

"What could you have possibly done that is horrible?" He asked. "You're Riley Matthews." I started getting tears in my eyes. "Did I make you cry? I didn't mean to."

"No, Lucas," I said. "I'm crying right now because I hate myself."

"Riley," he said. He hugged me.

"I cheated on you, Lucas," I said. He let go and looked at me.

"What?" He asked.

"I was angry and upset, and it just happened," I said, crying. "It was the day after you told me you didn't want to marry me. I didn't mean for it to happen, but I didn't stop it." He sat down in one of the chairs.

"Please tell me it was just a kiss," he pleaded. "Tell me you didn't…because we promised...Tell me you didn't give him…" He was starting to tear up. He couldn't even finish a sentence.

"I can't," I said. "I'm sorry. It didn't mean anything."

"Is that why you wanted to rush into marriage?" He asked. "You couldn't wait?"

"No, Lucas, that's not why at all," I said. "I didn't want you to go to Texas. I thought if we got married, you'd stay here with me like my mom did for my dad."

"You're mom decided on her own to stay, _she_ proposed to _him_," he said. "You tried to manipulate me into staying here. That's wrong, Riley. I don't know you anymore, this isn't you."

"I'm sorry, Lucas," I said.

"I need time to think, Riley," he said. "I need space."

"I understand," I said. He walked out of the room.

**Farkle's POV**

Lucas and Riley didn't show up to Mr. Matthews' class. In art class I decided to ask Riley what happened. Lucas didn't show up to this class either.

"Why weren't you in your dad's class?" I asked.

"I had to take care of stuff," she said.

"Morning class," Mr. Jackson said. "It appears Mr. Friar has went home sick today. So if anyone will give him the homework tonight, that would be very kind of you."

**KC's POV**

Farkle and I went to work after school. Both Riley and Andrew were working.

"Hey Katy," Farkle greeted my mom as we walked in.

"Hey Farkle," she said. "You two have some requests." She lifted up a bowl with some papers in it.

"Are some of those yours?" I asked her.

"Maybe," she said. We set up the equipment and started playing.

**Farkle's POV**

Lucas came in and ordered a smoothie at the counter. I grabbed the next request and showed KC. _Don't Throw It Away___by the Jonas Brothers. We started playing. Riley went to the back.

_**(Farkle, **__KC, _**Both)**

_**Take pictures out of all the frames/ Pack up your love with all your things/ See if it helps, give it a week/ I bet no one else gets you like me/**_

_**'Cause I know you think you're better off without now/ Sayin' all you need is space, baby, we can work this out**_

**But don't throw it away this time, just take a little time to think/ Don't throw it away, it's fine, just don't forget to think of me/ Don't throw it away, your mind is messin' with your head again/ Instead of walkin' away you should give it a break, 'til we know what to say / Don't throw it away**

_Don't save the words 'til it's too late/ I know it hurts and that's okay/ If it's too much to open up, then give it time/I see it in your eyes so let's sleep on it tonight_

_'Cause I know you think you're better off without now/ Sayin' all you need is space, baby, we can work this out_

**But don't throw it away this time, just take a little time to think/ Don't throw it away, it's fine, just don't forget to think of me/ Don't throw it away, your mind is messin' with your head again/ Instead of walkin' away you should give it a break, 'til we know what to say/ Don't throw it away**

_**Take your time-time, take your time, don't throw it away/ Take your time-time, don't throw it away, yeah/ Take your time-time, take your time, don't throw it away, yeah/ Take your time-time, don't throw it away**_

_Don't throw it away_** this time, just take a little time to think/ Don't throw it away, it's fine, just don't forget to think of me/ Don't throw it away, your mind is messin' with your head again/ Instead of walkin' away you should give it a break, 'til we know what to say/ Don't throw it away**

Lucas thanked Katy for the smoothie, looked at the door to the back, and left. _Is something going on with Lucas and Riley?_ I thought. _I thought he was sick._ I went to the back.

"He's gone, Riley," I said.

"Hmmm?" She said pretended she doesn't know what I'm talking about. "Who?"

"Lucas," I said. "Your boyfriend, who you just avoided for some reason. What's going on?"

"Nothing," she said, passing me.

"Then why did he pretend to be sick to leave school?" She went back to the front. I followed.

"Fine, don't tell me," I said. "It's your business. I just don't like seeing things wrong with my friends."

"Then go blind to it," she said.

"You know I can't do that," I said.

"Hey Farkle, I'm getting off now," KC said.

"Tell Aaron I hope they win," I said.

"Will do," she said. "Love you." She kissed me on the cheek.

"Love you too," I said.

**KC's POV**

Aaron's team were ahead by two points. He really seems to like soccer. He had the ball and was kicking it while running towards the goal. One of the kids on the other team, that had to be 6 or older, ran up next to him and pushed him down. The kid took the ball and made a goal. I stood up, outraged.

"Hey, that was a foul!" I yelled.

"Shut up," a lady behind me said. "If you'd feed your kid, he wouldn't have been pushed down." I turned around. She must have been at least 40.

"Excuse me?" I asked sternly.

"Your kid is a stick, what do you expect?" I gritted my teeth. "My Ricky wouldn't have been able to push him down if you fed him."

"He happens to eat a lot," I said. "His metabolism is just fast, it runs in our family. Also, I'm sure your kid is too old to be on this team. It's supposed to be 3 to 5 years old."

"He's 6," she said. "And I'm good friends with the coach."

"Well, I don't appreciate people that raise bullies," I said.

"My son isn't a bully, you're kid's just weak," she said. "How old are you?"

"I'm nineteen, almost twenty," I said. "And my son is not weak."

"So, you were a tramp," she said. I squeezed my water bottle. "No wonder he's weak, like mother, like son." I held back my urge to punch this woman straight in the face. "You know kids learn from their parents, right? He's going to be a nobody, like you."

"Hey, are you KC from _Topanga's_, you know part of F.K.C?" A teenager asked me.

"Yeah, I am," I said.

"Can I get your autograph?" she asked. "I love seeing you perform!"

"Sure," I said, signing her notebook. I was baffled.

"Thank you so much!" she said. "I can't wait to see where you two go! Oh and your son is so cute!"

"Thank you," I said. "That means a lot." The girl walked away, happily. I smiled at Ricky's mom. She was wrong.

"Push him again, Ricky!" The lady shouted. "Show him who's boss!"

"Leave my son alone," I told her sternly.

**Aaron's POV**

Ricky pushed me down again. I got back up.

"Stay on the ground!" He yelled at me.

"No, my mom told me to always get back up," I said. "Just play. Stop being mean!" I started running after the ball again. I looked back and he was running after me, not the ball. I made the goal and jumped, happily, looking at my mommy.

"Aaron!" she yelled. Ricky tackled me and started hitting me.

**KC's POV**

I ran onto the field and pulled that lady's kid off of Aaron.

"Sweetie?" I said. "Are you okay?" He shook his head. His nose was bleeding. I pulled out my handkerchief and told him to pinch the bridge of his nose and hold the handkerchief under his nose, like I had taught him before. I picked him up. I could hear the other team's coach yelling at the lady.

"No, this is the last straw!" He yelled. "That kid could have a concussion! Your kid is off the team! That's final!"

I got Aaron into the car and drove straight to the hospital. The doctors did an MRI and told me that he has a concussion. They told me he could go home, but I have to keep a close eye on him. They told me if he exhibited any serious symptoms, to bring him back. Farkle came over after I texted him what happened and told me he'd watch over him while I got some rest.

_**Author's Note: **__Have any of you ever met someone like this soccer mom? I have, rude people. People that allow their children do you whatever they want, like this, and attack other parents._


	9. Chapter 9: Girl Meets Break-Up

_**[October 28**__**th**__**, 2019]**_

**Farkle's POV**

We went to art class. Lucas and Riley still seemed different. I tried to talk to both of them. KC tried talking to Lucas. They said it's between them, and they'd rather keep that way.

"Hey everyone," he said. "I want all of you to paint what 'free' means to you."

I painted a sky and let it dry. I painted a 3D cross and broken chains. I looked over at KC, and sketched out two human hearts stitched together and painted it in. I painted silhouettes of me and KC, with Aaron in the middle.

I sat there, staring at it. Everything that gives me freedom was in front of me. Mr. Jackson tapped me on the shoulder. I looked up at him. I looked around, everyone was gone, class was over.

"Nice painting, Farkle," he said.

"Thank you," I said. "I should probably get to my next class." I went to stand up. He put his hand on my shoulder.

"Wait," he said. "Would you mind telling me what this is a painting of?"

"Um, well you asked me to paint what 'free' means to me, so that's what I did."

"It's kind of funny," he said. "You're one of the few that didn't paint the American Flag."

"Oh, sorry, I—" I began.

"Never apologize for your art, Farkle," he said. "Can you tell me what this all represents?"

"Sure," I said. "This cross and the broken chains, represent my faith and how through Jesus, I'm free, my chains are broken. The silhouettes are KC, me, and our son, I mean her son, Aaron. Sorry."

"Again, Farkle don't apologize for your art, this includes your words, unless they are hurtful," he said. "What did you mean to say?"

"Her son," I said.

"But what did you want to say?"

"Our son," I said. I smiled. "I want to be able to be that for him."

"Okay, start over with the silhouettes and go from there," he said.

"The silhouettes are KC, me, and our son, Aaron," I said. I felt my eyes smile. "They give me the freedom to be the best I can be, and actually make me believe I can be who I want to."

"And the hearts?" He asked.

"Love gives me the freedom to express myself in the best way I can," I said. "The sky is the background, it gives us the freedom to soar where we want to."

"Thank you, Farkle," he said. "You know the best thing about art?"

"What's that?"

"It can teach others about the artist, but more importantly, it can teach the artist about themselves," he said. "Go on to your next class, I'll call ahead." I left the classroom.

**Riley's POV**

I went to work and started taking orders. Lucas came in and sat down a few minutes later. I went to his seat.

"What can I get for you?"

"I need to talk to you," he said.

"I'm working," I said. "I don't know if we could talk."

"Don't you have breaks?" He asked. "We really need to talk."

"I'll have a break in about 25 minutes," I said.

"Okay," he said. "Could I get a blueberry smoothie?"

"Sure," I said. "I'll bring it to you really soon." I went and told Katy the order.

"Go ahead and take your break now," she said. "It seems really important." She looked at Lucas.

"Okay," I said. I gestured at Lucas to follow me. We went to the back. We stood there for a bit.

"So, I've thought about everything this past week," he said. "And I think we should break up."

"I'm such an idiot," I said. "I ruined everything."

"No, listen Riley," he said. "It's not just because you cheated on me or the manipulation, there's more to it."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"You were right when you said we'll never be exactly the same as we were," he said. "I was an alcoholic. There's no way we could have been the same after that."

"Don't blame yourself," I said.

"I have to, Riley. It's both of our faults," he said. "We rushed back into it. We got back together the minute we could. We just used our hearts, not our heads. That changed us. We should have had a longer break. You became more insecure. I ended up focusing more on you than my recovery. We need more time apart…as a couple."

"Still friends?" I asked. He nodded. "I don't think I deserve that. I cheated on you. You should hate me right now."

"Yet, I don't," he said. "I could never hate you, Riley, I love you. That's what makes this so hard."

"I'm sorry," I said. "Can you even see any hope?"

"For us?" He asked.

"Yeah."

"I can't see it, but I still have it," he said.

"Me too," I said. "I wouldn't blame you if you told the others what I did."

"I'm not going to," he said. "I'm not the type of guy to ruin someone's reputation out of spite. You messed up. You hurt me…_a lot_. But I could never bring myself to do that to you."

"Thank you, Lucas," I said. "I should probably get back to work." I walked back to the front.

**Maya's POV**

I got home after work, and let myself in. The babysitter left. I started playing with the twins. Mom and dad went on a date. Dad picked her up at _Topanga's_. I got baby food and fed them. They both ended up falling asleep after they ate. I put them in their cribs. I went into the living room and started watching tv, at a low volume, so I wouldn't wake them up.

I ended up falling asleep until I heard a knock at the door. I looked at the time, it was 10pm. _Who would be here this late? _I knew that I had to protect my siblings if it came to it. I grabbed a knife. I slowly went to the door and opened it, lifting the knife. It was Riley.

"Goodness, Riles," I said, lowering the knife. "What are you doing here so late?"

"I wanted to talk to you," she said. Her eyes moved to the knife. "Why do you have a knife?"

"I thought it could be someone wanting to hurt the twins," I said. "You couldn't call?"

"I wanted to talk in person," she said. "And you really think people wanting to hurt you guys would knock?"

"Yes, some serial killers do that, Riley," I said. "What do you want to talk about?"

"Can I come in?" She asked. I hadn't realized she hadn't come in yet.

"Yeah, sure," I said. We sat on the couch. "So, what's up?"

"We broke up," she said.

"You and Huckleberry?" I asked.

"Yes," she said. "He said we got back together too soon, and I can't help but agree."

"So you two are good?" I asked.

"Yeah," she said. "We're going to try to stay friends. Are _we_ good?"

"Yeah," I said. "I know it was a bad decision that you made. I forgive you."

"Where's the twins?" She asked.

"Asleep," I said. "Wanna sleep over?"

"Sure," she said.


	10. Chapter 10: Girl Meets Favorite

_**[November 6**__**th**__**, 2019]**_

**Riley's POV **

We're in Art class.

"Who's your favorite student, Mr. Jackson?" Maya asked, curiously.

"I don't have favorites," he said.

"Yes, every teacher does," Maya said.

"Let's continue with our paintings, shall we?" He said. We continued our paintings. The project was the sky any way you wanted to paint it. "Now, I want to ask you all a question. Who is your favorite artist or band?"

"Overall?" KC asked.

"Yes."

"NF," KC said.

"I thought it was Taylor Swift," I said.

"She, well the _country_ her, is my favorite _country _artist."

"Jonas Brothers," Maya said.

"Dalton Cyr," Farkle said.

"Okay, well whoever your favorite artist or band is, I want you to pick a lyric line or two of theirs that you relate to and write it on your paintings tomorrow."

"Why does it have to be our favorite artist?" Lucas asked.

"Who's your favorite musician or band?"

"Twenty One Pilots," he said.

"And why are they your favorite band?"

"Because they talk about important things," he said. "And I can relate to them with my faith."

"Exactly," Mr. Jackson said. "You can relate to them. That's why I want to use your favorite."

**Farkle's POV**

KC and I went to work and set up our equipment. Lucas, Zay, and Isadora came in and sat down. Aaron asked KC if he could sit with Lucas, and she said yes, so he went to sit with him. Maya was waiting around for delivery orders, and Riley went to take our friends orders. We found out that her and Lucas broke up, but they told us it was a private matter. KC and I decided to start out with a really relatable song for me.

"Hey everybody!" I said. "So, we're going to start out with a song that is personal for me." I looked over at my friends. "A lot of you, including some of my friends, don't know this, but today is the third anniversary of my baptism. In 8th grade I started to believe that maybe there was a God out there. I realized that I wasn't completely happy, there was something missing from my life, from me. I felt completely lost. I decided to go to church with one of my friends. After that, he gave me a Bible. One night, I started reading it, and everything I had done wrong fell on my shoulders. That night, I started to truly believe. A few months later I decided to get baptized. So here is 'Saved' by Joseph O'Brien."

_**I gave it my best shot/ But it was never enough/ Pain was all that I got/ And I always gave up**_

_**I was feelin' all the weight of every sin and mistake/ Regrettin' every step and all the choices I made/ Oh, oh**_

_**I couldn't climb my **_**way up**_**/ I couldn't change who **_**I was**_**/ You found me/ Lost, abandoned/ Hopeless and afraid/ I couldn't be the **_**hero**_**/ Lifted me from **_**down low**_**/ And you/ Drew my heart up/ From the crashin' waves/ That's why they call it gettin' saved**_

_**You hold me together/ You keep me alive/ So how could I ever/ Leave Your side?**_

_**And when I feelin' all the weight of every sin and mistake/ I remember how You took it all and washed it away/ Oh, oh**_

_**I couldn't climb my **_**way up**_**/ I couldn't change who **_**I was**_**/ You found me/ Lost, abandoned/ Hopeless and afraid/ I couldn't be the **_**hero**_**/ Lifted me from **_**down low**_**/ And you/ Drew my heart up/ From the crashin' waves/ That's why they call it gettin' saved**_

_**In Christ I am made into a new creation/ The old passed away from me/ **_**In Christ I am made into a new creation/ The old passed away from me**

_**I couldn't climb my **_**way up**_**/ I couldn't change who **_**I was**_**/ You found me/ Lost, abandoned/ Hopeless and afraid/ I couldn't be the **_**hero**_**/ Lifted me from **_**down low**_**/ And you/ Drew my heart up/ From the crashin' waves/ That's why they call it gettin' saved/**_ _**That's why they call it gettin' saved**_

We finished the song.

"So it was KC's Birthday two days ago," I said. "We did a little get together, so we weren't here that day. Can everyone join me in wishing my beautiful and amazing girlfriend a happy belated 20th birthday!" We all sang 'happy birthday' to her.

After we were done, she whispered to me "Did you have to embarrass me?" She was laughing a little.

"It's my job," I joked.

"You're a dork, but you're my dork," she said. I smiled.

**Josh's POV**

I got home from work and saw Maya's car there. I went into the apartment, and saw KC and Farkle sitting there, watching a movie with Aaron.

"Oh, I thought Maya was here," I said. Suddenly I felt someone jump on my back.

"I am," she said. She spun herself to in front of me. "Wanted to surprise you." I looked over, and the table was set with candles and roses. I looked in her eyes and smiled.

"You did this?" I asked.

"Yeah," she said. "Made your favorite." She skipped over to the table, pulled out my chair, then sat down in her own. I sat down. She gave me some lasagna and put some salad into my bowl. I took a bite.

"Wow, this tastes just like my mom's," I said.

"That's because it's her recipe," she said.

"How did you get it?" I asked. "My mom wouldn't even give it to Topanga."

"I have my ways," she said.

"Thank you," I said. "Actually, this made my whole day better."

"Why?" she asked. "What happened?"

"Well, I was screamed at by my boss and fired today."

"You got fired?" She asked worried.

"You were fired today?" Farkle asked, coming into the dining room.

"Yeah, I started having an asthma attack and I went to take my inhaler, and he grabbed it out of my hands," I said. "He said 'you can't do drugs on the job, that includes medications'. I grabbed it back from him and used it and was able to catch my breath. He grabbed it back and _threw it in the trash_. Well, I lost my cool, and punched him. He fired me right there."

"What kind of person does that?" KC asked. "That's ridiculous. That'd be like Topanga throwing Farkle's insulin away."

"Yeah," Farkle said. "I mean insulin isn't a drug, it's a hormone, bit it's my medication. That could have killed you."

"Well one good thing came out of it," I said, continuing to eat.

"What would that be?" Maya asked.

"A lot of my coworkers saw what happened and quit," I said. "They don't want to work for a jerk like that either."

I continued eating.

"I always want to make things better for you," she said. "I'm glad I was able to."

"Again, thank you," I said. "This means more than you know." I looked in her eyes. My favorite baby blues on my favorite girl's face. Even though our friends were in the other room, it's like we were the only ones there. The way her eyes fell into mine, it was a sign. I smiled.


	11. Chapter 11: Girl Meets I Hate You

_**[December 8**__**th**__**, 2019]**_

**Riley's POV**

I'm trying to sleep. I can hear someone tapping on my window. Probably Maya. The tapping turned into knocking.

"Ugh," I said, rolling out of bed. I went to the window. It was Maya, Josh, KC, Farkle, and Aaron. I opened the window. Aaron was holding balloons. They came in. "How long have you been out there?"

"Just a couple minutes," KC said.

"With him?" I asked, motioning to Aaron. "Isn't that dangerous?"

"Well, we thought you would have already been up," Farkle said. "It's almost 10am."

"Anyways," Maya said. "Happy Birthday!"

"You're officially an adult!" KC said.

"Yeah," I said.

"Happy Birthday, RiRi!" Aaron said, handing me the balloons.

"That's buddy," I said, taking the balloons.

"Happy Birthday, Riley!" Farkle said.

"Thank you, Farkle," I said.

"Welcome!" He said with a smile.

"We'll head downstairs," KC said. "And see if your mom needs any help with anything."

"Okay," I said. KC, Farkle, Aaron, and Josh went downstairs.

**Maya's POV**

"So you told Lucas everything?" I asked.

"Yeah," she said. "Pretty much."

"You told him it was with Charlie?"

"No," she said. "That would kill him."

"You should have told him," I said. "He should know."

"No, he shouldn't," she said. "I'm sure he doesn't even want to know. We're still friends, Maya. I don't want to hurt him anymore."

"You didn't tell him the truth," I said.

"Yes, I did, Maya," she said. "He didn't ask who it was."

"He should know," I said. "You need to tell him."

"I'm not going to tell him," she said. "He obviously doesn't want to know. It would ruin everything."

"If you don't, I will," I told her.

"I can't believe you," she said. "It's not yours to tell, Maya."

"I'm serious, Riley," I said.

"If you tell him, _we_ won't be friends anymore," she said. "_I'm _serious."

"Sure, Riles," I said. I don't believe her. I walked out of her room.

"I mean it, Maya," she said. She sounded serious. _She can't be_, I thought.

**KC's POV**

Aaron and I were helping Topanga decorate. Lucas came into the apartment. Maya came down.

"Hey Huckleberry," she greeted him.

"Hey Maya," he said. "When will Riley come down?"

"I don't know," she said.

"Hey Uncle Luke," Aaron said.

"Hey Aaron!" He said with a smile.

"I wanna show you something," Aaron told him.

"Okay," he said. Aaron led him to Auggie's room to show him the "mancave" him and Auggie made.

"Hey KC," Topanga said. "Can you help me tack this _8_ up? Cory is being no help."

"I tried, and I failed. That's life," he said.

"Yeah, sure," Topanga said. Josh laughed, letting go of the balloon he had been blowing up.

"Sure, I'll help you with that Topanga," I said. I went over and helped her finish the _18_ in _Happy 18__th__ Birthday!_ Lucas, Aaron, and Auggie came out of Auggie's room.

Riley came down from her room in a really nice dress.

"Happy Birthday!" Everyone yelled.

"Thanks!" Riley said.

The doorbell rang. Topanga answered it, it was the pizzas she ordered. Josh carried them to the table.

"I can't believe you're 18 already!" Cory told Riley. "You are growing up too fast." Riley started laughing.

"I know," she said. "It's going by fast."

"KC's already 20," mom said. "Maya's almost 18. It definitely goes by fast. Soon _these two_ will be 18." The twins were squirming in her and Shawn's arms.

"You still have over seventeen years 'til then, mom," I said.

"Yeah, but look at how fast you two grew up," she said. I laughed.

We all, except the twins, started eating pizza.

**Maya's POV**

It had been about an hour since the party started. I went over to Lucas.

"I need to talk to you," I said.

"Why?" He asked.

"I just do, meet me in Riley's room," I said.

I waited for him there. He came after a few minutes.

"Why do you need to talk to me?" He asked.

"Do you know who Riley cheated on you with?"

"No," he said. "Wait, how do you even know about that?"

"She told me first," I said.

He nodded in understanding. "Of course she did," he said.

I took a breath. "It was Charlie," I said.

"What?" He asked.

"She cheated on you with Charlie," I said. "I thought you had the right to know." He slowly sat down at the Bay Window. He started breathing heavily. "Are you okay, Lucas?" He shook his head, he looked like he was about to cry. He stood back up. His demeanor changed, he got tense. He started walking towards the door. "What are you doing?" I asked. I followed him downstairs.

**KC's POV**

Lucas and Maya came out from the hall. Lucas didn't look happy. He went straight to Riley. _What's going on?_ I thought.

"Is it true?" He asked her, upset.

"Is what true?" She asked.

"What Maya just told me?" He was starting to raise his voice. Everyone went quiet. Riley looked at Maya with disbelief. "Did you cheat on me with Charlie? Was it with him?" Riley was speechless. Everybody was. "Answer me," he shouted, then said quieter "Please."

"Yes," she said. Lucas' bottom lip began to quiver. Tears started going down his cheeks.

"The one person I was terrified I'd lose you to," he said.

"Lucas," she said.

"No!" He yelled. "I-I- I can't believe this. It's like my hearts in a million pieces." He was holding his chest.

"Lucas, we're still—" Riley began.

"No, we're not," he said. "We're not anything." He walked out of the apartment, slamming the door behind him. Riley looked at the door.

"Riley?" I asked. She looked over at Maya. I had never seen that look on her face before. She was really angry.

"I told you he didn't need to know!" She yelled at Maya. "This is exactly what I was trying to avoid! I told you it would kill him! I told you I didn't want to hurt him anymore!"

"Riley," Maya said. "I was just trying to do the right thing." Riley stood right in front of her.

"You thought ruining the only thing I had left with him, our friendship, was the right thing?!" Riley shouted at her. "I meant what I said. _We're _not friends anymore."

"Fine!" Maya said. We couldn't believe what we were watching unfold. "If you want to throw 14 years of friendship away for a stupid reason, go ahead!" None of us expected what came next.

Riley threw a punch at Maya, clocking her in the eye. Maya threw a punch back. Riley shoved her into the wall. We were all in shock. Topanga and mom tried to stop them to no avail.

"Girls, stop!" Topanga yelled.

"Break it up!" Mom yelled.

They kept hitting at each other. They started pulling each other's hair and kept throwing punches. Josh grabbed Maya and Shawn grabbed Riley, pulling them away from each other.

"Get out!" Riley yelled at Maya. "I hate you!"

"Riley," Topanga said. "Think about what you're saying."

"It's my birthday party," she said. "I don't want a traitor here." Maya headed for the door. She grabbed her jacket and walked out.

"Maya," Josh said, going after her.

**Josh's POV**

I followed Maya out of the apartment.

"Where are you going?" I asked her.

"Home," she said.

"That's far from here," I said. "Let me drive you there."

"Can we go to your apartment instead?" She asked.

"Sure," I said. We got in the car. I started driving.

"Thanks for being on my side," she said.

"I'm not," he said. "I'm not on yours or Riley's."

"I'm your girlfriend," she said.

"And she's my niece," I said. "Both of you acted extremely immature back there."

"I did the right thing," she said.

"Did you?" I asked. "Because Lucas' reaction said otherwise. And last time I checked best friends keep each other's secrets."

"You _are_ on her side," she said.

"No I'm not," he said. "She cheated on him, and she started a fist fight with you. Neither of you were in the right."

"He needed to know," she said.

"No, he didn't. From what I heard, she knew what would happen," I said. "He doesn't want anything to do with Riley now, you really think that's right?"

"You have a point," she said. "Do you have a first aid kit at your apartment?"

"There's one under your seat," I said. She reached under her seat and grabbed it. She got some band aids out and put them on some cuts on her arms. "How did you get those cuts?"

"She scratches deep, I guess," she said. "I never meant for this to happen, you know that, right?"

"Yeah, I know," I said. We went into the apartment and just sat in silence for bit. Farkle came home. "Why aren't you at the party?" I asked.

"Riley kicked everyone out, and said the party was over," he said. "Are you okay, Maya?"

"I'll be fine," she said. "I messed up, didn't I? I thought I was doing the right thing."

"So did I in 8th grade," he said. "Me telling everyone that Riley still loved Lucas just made everything worse and made her trust in me waver. I regret it completely. Honesty is the best thing, but we need to let others decide to do it on their own."

"We've never done what we did tonight," she said. "I wasn't trying to hurt anyone."

"You should probably put ice on your black eye," Farkle told her. I went to the kitchen and got her an ice pack.

**Riley's POV**

I was sitting in the Bay Window when Auggie came into my room.

"You okay, Riley?"

"No," I said. "I just ended a 14-year-long friendship."

"Do you need a hug?" He asked.

"Yeah." He hugged me. I looked down at him.


	12. Chapter 12: Girl Meets NY's Revelation

_**[December 31**__**st**__**, 2019]**_

**Riley's POV**

I was sitting on my bed. Mom came into my room.

"Are you going to have a New Years party tonight?" She asked.

"Why bother?" I asked. "I don't have anyone to invite."

"Farkle, KC, and Aaron were planning on coming over if you were doing something," she said. "And sweetie, Maya apologized, why not invite her tonight?"

"I don't want to invite her," I said. "And besides Josh is going over there to celebrate with her and her family."

"Let's do something," she said. "We can invite Zay and Isadora and the others."

"Fine," I said. "But no Maya. And don't be surprised if Zay doesn't come. He probably hates me just like Lucas."

"Lucas doesn't hate you," mom said.

"_Sure, he doesn't_," I said, sarcastically. "He won't even talk to me at school, mom."

"Maybe it's just hard for him," she said. "Anyways, get ready. You have work until two." She left the room.

"Ugh," I groaned. I got dressed and went to work with mom.

**Maya's POV**

I had begged KC and Farkle to let me sing once since Riley's party. Mrs. Matthews said I had to ask them since it would be cutting into their work time. They finally said I could today. They knew the song I'm doing. They don't want me to make anything worse.

"Hey everyone," KC said. "Today, my sister is going to be performing a song for you."

I went up with my guitar, and Farkle went up to do backup guitar for me.

"Hope you like it," I said into the mic.

_**The first shot's fired, everybody's gathered around/ You're looking at me like I tried to take you down/ No, no, it's not what happened at all/ There's no sound, I'm waiting on your next move/ A showdown and I know where to hit you/ But no, no, it's not how I wanted this to go down**_

_**Now we're standing in the ring/And you make the first swing/ And now we're fighting dirty/ Won't somebody come say "break it up"**_

_**And I used to be on your side/ Now it's looking like we're going to battle/ And why you're taking shots at me like/ Somebody's gonna give you a medal?/ And I never wanna hurt you/ But I'm tired of taking all these blows/ And so I'd rather be on your side/ But if you wanna fight/ Let's go, oh, oh/ Let's go, oh, oh**_

_**So gloves off, if this is how you want it/ We had it all, you say my mistake cost it/ No, no/ I'm not the one who tore us apart/ Let me remind you for a minute why we're not fine/ Threw it away and left me on the sidelines/Oh, oh, can't you tell this is breaking my heart?**_

_**Now we're standing in the ring/ And you make the first swing/ And now I'm fighting dirty/ But I ain't going down till they break it up**_

_**And I used to be on your side/ Now it's looking like we're going to battle/ And why you're taking shots at me like/ Somebody's gonna give you a medal?/ And I never wanna hurt you/ But I'm tired of taking all these blows/ And so I'd rather be on your side/ But if you wanna fight/ Let's go, oh, oh/ Let's go, oh, oh**_

_**Now we're standing in the ring/ Breaking everything/ That we've been building up so long/ And I don't wanna do this, break it up**_

_**But you're not who I thought you were/ And this is looking more like a war/ Looks like we're going to war**_

_**And I used to be on your side/ Now it's looking like we're going to battle/ And I'm trying not to break down cryin'/ No one's gonna give you a medal/ And I never wanna hurt you/ But I'm tired of taking all these blows/ And so I'd rather be on your side/ I'd rather be on your side/ But if you wanna fight/ Let's go, oh, oh**_

_**Looks like we're going to war/ Oh, oh**_

_**The first shot's fired, everybody's gathered around/ You're looking at me like I tried to take you down/ No, no, but if you wanna fight, let's go**_

I finished. I looked over at Riley. She ignored it. I got down from the stage and went to my mom to get the deliveries.

"I'll be back soon," I told her. I walked out the door with the orders.

**Riley's POV**

I went over to KC and Farkle during my break.

"Got a request?" Farkle asked.

"No," said. "I was wondering if you three would like to come over tonight for New Years?"

"Sure," Farkle said.

"We'd love to," KC said. "What did you think of Maya's performance?"

"Tell her what she did broke _my_ heart," I said. "The battle's over, there was no winners." I walked away.

_**[That Night]**_

KC, Farkle, and Aaron came over. Zay texted me that he and Smackle were celebrating with Lucas' family. Ava got permission from her mom to spend it with us. Her mom declined when we offered for her to celebrate with us too.

"Hey L.A.," Ava greeted Aaron.

"Hey Ava," he said.

"Let's play a game," Auggie said.

"Okay, what game?" Farkle asked.

"Truth or dare!" Ava said.

"No," I said. "We don't need any more stupid decisions."

"You don't have to be mean about it," Ava said.

"Sorry Ava," I said. "I didn't mean it like that. We can play it if you want."

"Okay," she said, smiling.

"Mom, dad, want to play?" I asked.

"Sure," mom said.

"Okay," dad said. We all sat down.

"Who starts?" I asked.

"Youngest," Auggie said.

"Okay, L.A.," Ava said. "Truth or Dare?"

"Truth," he said.

"Do you like me or Auggie better?"

"Auggie's my best friend," he said. "But you are too. So…both."

"Okay now we'll go clockwise, so to your right," Farkle said. "Riley your turn. Truth or Dare?"

"Truth," I said.

"Are you going to make up with Maya?" He asked.

"Really Farkle?" I asked.

"I hate seeing you two like this," he said.

"Is Lucas ever going to talk to me again?" I asked. "Probably not. Same for her."

"Let's move on," KC said. "We won't bring it up again tonight. Right Farkle?"

"Right."

"Thank you," I said. "Mom, truth or dare?"

"Dare," she said.

"I dare you to kiss dad," I said.

"Gladly," she said, kissing him on the lips.

"Dad, your turn," Auggie said. "Truth or Dare?"

"Dare," he said.

"I dare you to try to balance the ketchup bottle on your nose," Auggie said. We all laughed when he kept trying it.

"It's impossible!" Dad exclaimed. Mom got up and balanced the ketchup bottle easily. "Of course."

"Ava, Truth or Dare?" KC asked her.

"Dare," Ava said.

"Wow lots of dares tonight," KC said. "I dare you to tell us a funny story about you and Auggie."

"When we were really little, we 'got married'," Ava said. "Auggie said he'd never hurt my feelings again and we said other stuff. It was like vows. The funny thing about it was Mr. Matthews' reaction. He was like 'What just happened?' Then told Topy we got married." She was laughing. We all laughed. Then I remembered what day that was. Lucas and I's first date. My smile faded, but I didn't say anything about it. We continued playing until it was five minutes until midnight. We went to the roof. Farkle lifted Aaron up on his shoulders, and KC put her arm around his waist.

"Thanks for inviting us, Ri," KC said.

"No problem," I said, happy they came. Auggie and Ava stood there hand-in-hand. I looked over at my parents. I went and stood with them. I'm not alone tonight. We started counting down.

"3, 2, 1! Happy New Year!" We all yelled. The fireworks went off.

**Maya's POV**

I stood there with Josh watching the fireworks. He wrapped his arms around me. He could have went to Riley's but he said he wanted to be with me tonight. I don't know what will happen with me and Riley, but I know I want him by my side for as long as I live. I know he's the one for me.


	13. Chapter 13: Girl Meets Five

_**[January 12**__**th**__**, 2020]**_

**Riley's POV**

I woke up a little late, at about nine. Aaron's birthday party is in about three hours. KC invited me yesterday. I got dressed and went down to the kitchen and warmed a frozen waffle in the toaster.

"Morning, Riley," Auggie said, who was sitting on the couch with Ava.

"Morning," I said. "Hey Ava."

"Hey Riley."

"What are you up to?" I asked. "And where's mom and dad?"

"Talking," he said. "And they went shopping."

"Do they know Ava's here?" I asked.

"Yeah, mom said she could hang out here until we go to the party."

"Oh ok," I said. "They left you alone?"

"They knew you'd wake up soon," he said.

"Okay," I said.

**Maya's POV**

I went to KC's apartment at about 11:58. I was immediately greeted by my nephew. Mom, Shawn, and the twins went at about 11:30.

"Hey Aunt Maya!" He said, hugging me. I gave him his present. He ran off to play with some of his friends after he put the present with the others.

"Hey sis," KC said hugging me. "Happy 18th Birthday!"

"Thanks," I said. "Nice decorating."

"Thanks," she said. I looked over and saw Farkle doing piggy-back rides with the kids. He looked like he was having the time of his life.

"Hey KC," I heard Riley say.

"Hi KC," Auggie and Ava said. They ran to the group of kids. Aaron came over.

"Hi RiRi," he said.

"Hey!" Riley said happily. "Happy Birthday, buddy!"

"Thanks!" Aaron said cheerfully. He took Riley's present and put it with the others.

Riley looked over at me and looked away.

"So you're not going to even tell me anything?" I asked.

"Oh, happy birthday, Maya," she said flatly.

"You could be nicer," I said.

"We're not friends anymore," she said. "I don't have to be _enthusiastic _about your birthday. I came to celebrate Aaron turning five."

"You don't even want to _try_ to fix this?" I asked.

"Fix what?" She asked. "There's nothing to fix."

I shoved her. She shoved me back. I shoved her again. She went to hit me, but KC got in the middle of us, and grabbed her arm.

"_Don't you dare_," she said. "You two are not going to start a fight at _my _apartment, at _my _son's birthday party. Both of you are adults now, act like it. I understand you aren't friends anymore, but you don't need to act like enemies. You will be civil with each other, or both of you will leave the party. Got it?"

"I'm your sister," I said.

"I don't care who you are," KC said. "No one is going to get in a fight here, or they will be kicked out. You had your birthday dinner last night, this is Aaron's party. Don't ruin it. If you can't be civil, stay away from each other, or get out."

I took KC's warning and went to the other side of the room.

**Riley's POV**

I saw Lucas in the corner of the room, on the phone. I waited until he was done and went over to him.

"Hey," I said.

"Hi," he said.

"Can we talk?" I asked.

"I can't," he said.

"I'm sorry," I said. "For everything."

"I know," he said. "I'm sorry." He walked past me.

**KC's POV**

Aaron was on Farkle's back again. Instead of a _piggy-back_ ride, he decided he wanted it a bull ride. It got way more fun for all of them with that change. Shawn joined him in giving the rides.

"Remember when my dad did that with us?" Lucas asked.

"Yeah, that was fun," I said. "I saw you talking to Riley. How'd that go?"

"I couldn't do it," he said. "I just can't bring myself to actually talk to her anymore."

"Forgiveness is a powerful thing, Luke," I told him.

"I forgave her," he said. "It just still hurts. I just wish I never found out who it was. It felt like something crushed my chest when she admitted it."

"I'm sorry, Luke," I said.

He smiled. "Look at Aaron," he said. I looked over, and Aaron was holding one of the little girls hands.

"Awww!" I said.

**Farkle's POV**

Auggie got on my back.

"Aug, switch backs, please," I said. "You're too heavy."

"Nah," he said.

"Auggie, change backs," Riley said.

"No," he said. "Come on! Try to buck me off!" I tried and failed. I fell to my chest.

"Ow," I said.

"Oh, you weren't kidding," he said.

KC helped me up. I sat down.

"This bull is closed for business," she said. "You'll have to use grandpa bull."

"Ahhhh," some kids said.

"My back hurts," I said.

"Sorry," Auggie said.

"It's fine," I said.

Katy brought the twins over.

"Hey!" KC said. She picked up Johnathan and sat him on her lap. "You having fun Johnny?" He laughed. She smiled.

"Hi," Angela said.

"Hey Ang," KC said.

"You want to hold her, Farkle?" Katy asked.

"Yeah sure," I said. She handed her over to me. "Hey Angela. Having fun?"

"Yeah," she said.

**Maya's POV**

"How did your interview go?" I asked Josh.

"I think it went well," he said. "This one didn't degrade my major. I don't even get why the others even asked about that. My desire to be a social worker doesn't have anything to do with gas stations and restaurants."

"Yeah, I don't know either," I said. "I'm glad you came."

"Me too," he said.

"Time to sing _Happy Birthday_!" KC called. All of the kids ran over to the table. Josh and I went over. We all sang _Happy Birthday _to Aaron. He blew out the candles. "Happy 5th birthday, sweetie," KC said, kissing him on the cheek.

"Thanks mommy!" He said.

"You're growing up too fast," Farkle said, messing up Aaron's hair.

"Stop daddy," he said. We all laughed.

After cake, he opened presents. Farkle got him a dress shirt and slacks. KC got him a starters guitar. Apparently he wants to learn how to play, but Farkle's guitar is too big for him. He opened the rest. Riley, Auggie, and Ava went home after that because Auggie and Ava were tired.

**Riley's POV**

We got home about 8pm. Ava went to her apartment, and we went into ours.

"Goodnight Riley," Auggie said.

"Goodnight Auggie," I said. "Love you."

"Love you too," he said.

I went to my room and laid down. My phone dinged. I looked and it was Lucas. His text read:

_I just wanted to let you know that I don't hate you. It's just really hard to talk to you now. I forgive you. It just hurts too much to talk to you. I hope you understand._


	14. Chapter 14: Girl Meets CPS

_**[Friday, January 17**__**th**__**, 2020]**_

**Riley's POV**

I walked into art class.

"Good morning, Mr. Jackson," I said.

"Good morning, Riley," he said. I sat down in my seat. Darby and Marley were already there. Lucas came in and saw me. He let out a small smile towards me. He sat down. Farkle, KC, and Maya came in and sat down.

"Good morning class," Mr. Jackson said. "I have a new project for you all to pair up for. It's similar to the one I gave you two years ago, where you painted what was on your mind and put it together. The difference with this one is instead of painting what's on your mind, you will be painting what you perceive is on your partners mind. I want you to work on it over the weekend, and on Tuesday, I want you all to show your projects. I want you and your partner to discuss why you painted what you did before Tuesday."

"How will we figure out what our partner is thinking?" Darby asked.

"Talk to each other," he said.

"Do we pick our partner this time?" KC asked.

"No," Mr. Jackson said. "I have actually picked out who will be partners before class this morning."

I silently hoped I knew who he paired with me.

"Maya, you will be paired with Farkle," Mr. Jackson said. "KC, you will be working with Darby. Marley," three of us left, "you will be working with," _please_, I prayed; "Brandon." I let out the breath I didn't realize I was holding in. "And Riley, you will be working with Lucas. You cannot tell your partner what you are thinking. Can't wait to see what you come up with."

**Lucas' POV**

I got home after work and decided that I should text Riley to see when she wants to work on the project. Mr. Jackson notices a lot, I've realized, and it makes me think he's up to something. I took out my phone and texted Riley:

_Hey, when do you want to work on the project?_

She texted right back.

_**Tomorrow?**_

_Sure._

_** 9am? My place?**_

_ 9 sounds good. How about at the school?_

_**Okay, and sure.**_

_**[The Next Day]**_

**Riley's POV**

I went to the school with my dad to work on the project with Lucas. Dad said he needed to work on paperwork anyways. Lucas was waiting at the door.

"Hey," I said.

"Hey," he replied. Dad unlocked the door and we went inside.

"So which room do you want to work in?" Dad asked.

"Probably the art classroom," Lucas answered him.

"Yeah," I said. He let us in the classroom and said he'd check on us once in a while. He left to go to his own classroom. Lucas and I positioned a couple of easels across from each other, then grabbed a blank canvas each and put them on our respective easels. We sat down in our seats.

"So, how have you been?" I asked him.

"Fine," he said. "I—" He ran his hand through his hair. "I don't know how to talk to you."

"Well this is a start," I said. We sat there quietly for a while. I started painting some.

"I've been working a lot more," he said. "It's one of the only ways I can—" He stopped. He started breathing slowly, but heavily.

"Keep me off your mind?" I asked.

"Yes," he said. I could hear the sadness in his voice. We went quiet for a bit more. "What about you?"

"Hmm?" I asked.

"How have you been?"

"I've been fine," I said. "I just work and stuff."

"What's going on with you and Maya?" _Now he's talking to me. Why did he have to asked me about that?_ I thought.

"Nothing," I said. "Not anymore."

"What happened?" He asked.

"I don't want to talk about it," I said.

"It's on your mind, though, isn't it?"

"Yes," I said.

"I saw you got in a fight at Aaron's party," he said. "What was that about?"

"Nothing," I said.

"Riley," he said. "We have to talk for this project. It's already hard enough for me. Please don't make it harder."

I exhaled. "We're not friends anymore. I asked her not to tell you, and she did anyways. We got into a fight after you left," I said. "Then she got mad about me not acting all happy that it was her birthday on Sunday and shoved me, starting that fight."

"What kind of fight did you get into after I left?"

"A, um, physical fight," I said. "I punched her."

We went quiet again.

**KC's POV**

I had today off. Aaron and I were watching Paw Patrol. I heard a knock at the door. I went and answered it. There was a man at the door.

"May I help you?" I asked.

"Yes, are you Ms. Friar?" The man asked.

"Yes," I said, confused.

"I am Mr. Jones with Child Protection Services," He said. "We received a call today regarding your son, and I wanted to come in and speak with you about it. Would that be alright?"

"Yes, of course," I said. "Can you tell me what the call was about? And may I see your ID?"

"Yes, and certainly?" He said. He took out his ID and showed it to me. "Would it be alright for me to asked your son some questions first?"

"Sure," I said. "Will I need to step out of the room? Sorry, I've never been in this situation before."

"Yes," he said. "And no worries, I just need to make sure there is no coaching involved in his answers."

"I understand," I said. I turned off the TV and told Aaron "This man would like to talk to you. I want you to be as honest as you can. I'll be right in the other room."

"Okay mommy," he said. I went into the other room.

**Riley's POV**

"Why him?" Lucas asked after some silence.

"What?"

"Why did you cheat on me with Charlie?" He asked. "Why him?"

"I don't know," I said. "I guess part of me wanted to hurt you because I was hurt."

"Well, whatever part of you that was, accomplished it's goal," he said.

"Why did you forgive me?" I asked. "I don't deserve it."

"It freed me," he said. "And there's no point in not forgiving you. You're sorry, and even if you weren't, I still would have forgiven you. I don't think I know exactly why, but I would have."

"How did it free you?" I asked.

"I'm talking to you right now," he said. "I wouldn't have been able to last week."

"Is this your way of telling me to forgive Maya?" I asked.

"No," he said. "Everyone forgives in their own time."

"I don't see any way we could be the same before all of this happened," I said.

"You can't," he said. "We can't either. I forgave you, but I can't bring myself to call you a friend anymore. Maybe I will be able to at some point, but not now."

"Are you okay?" I asked him.

"Yeah," he said. "You?"

"You care?"

"I never stopped caring about you, Riley," he said. "Just because we're not friends, doesn't mean I shouldn't care."

"Yeah," I said. "You're right." _I didn't care about Maya's birthday because we're not friends_, I thought.

**KC's POV**

"So from what Lucas told me, you feed him well, and I see no sign of malnurishment," Mr. Jones said. "Would you mind telling me about a fight that occurred here on Sunday that he told me about?"

"My sister and her ex-best friend got into an argument which resulted in them shoving each other," I said. "I broke it up and told them to get along or they would have to leave. I didn't realize Lucas Aaron had witnessed it."

"Has he witnessed them fight before?"

"Yes," I admitted. "They know if they fight in front of him again, I will not permit them to be around him at the same time."

"That is good to know," he said. "Do you think that how protective you are of him, even with what he sees, is a result of the abuse you endured as a child?"

"I'm sorry, how do you know about that?"

"You let me look at your medications," he said. "You have Prazosin and Sertraline in your medicine cabinet. Those are very commonly taken by people who suffer from PTSD. You also have a seemingly-old scar just above your left ear which subtlety goes higher up on your head. What was that from?"

"My biological father hitting me in the head with a bowling ball when I was seven," I said.

"Have you ever been in an abusive relationship?"

"Yes," I said. "When I was 17 to 18, but I never even let him meet Aaron."

"Are you in a relationship now?" He asked.

"Yes," I said. "For almost two years now. He is amazing with Lucas."

"I will need his name so I may speak with him," he said.

"His name is Farkle Minkus," I said.

"One more thing, has Lucas Aaron played soccer since October?"

"No," I said. "Another boy gave him a concussion. It took a while for him to fully recover from it. I have the Medical records from the ER."

"Did this other boy's mother have a confrontation with you?" He asked. "And I will need to take a copy of those records."

"Yes," I said. I grabbed a copy the medical records out of my filing cabinet and handed it to him. "She accused me of not feeding him and encouraged her son to assault Aaron. He pushed Aaron down twice, then tackled and hit him, which resulted in the concussion."

Thank you," he said. "I will speak with Farkle, and I believe that will be all I need. I will contact you within 72 hours."

"Thank you," I said. I closed the door behind him. I leaned on the door and took a few breaths. I went to check on Aaron, who went to his room while I talked to Mr. Jones. He had fallen asleep.

**Riley's POV**

"I'll see you on Tuesday," I told Lucas.

"See you Tuesday," he said. I watched him leave through the school doors.

"Ready to go?" Dad asked.

"Yeah," I said.

We walked out the door.


	15. Chapter 15: Girl Meets Story of Us

_**[February 8, 2020]**_

**Maya's POV**

I drove over to the Matthews' place. I knocked on the door. Riley answered.

"Oh hey, is Auggie ready for our walk?" I asked.

"He's still getting dressed," she said.

"Okay," I said. "Can I come in?"

"I don't own the place," she said. "Do whatever you want."

"Okay," I said. I went into the living room and sat down. Auggie came out a little later and we left for our walk.

"So how did you sleep?" Auggie asked.

"Good," I said. "What about you?"

"Good."

"Is Riley still upset with me?" I asked him. "Sorry, she just never seems happy to see me anymore."

"I don't know," he said, shrugging. "Why don't you talk to her about it?"

"I can't, she won't talk to me," I said.

"I don't know, then" he said.

"How's school going?" I asked.

"Good," he said. "What about you? Are you ready to graduate?"

"Aug, that's not until late June," I said.

"Uncle Josh said it goes by fast," he said. "Are you ready for his graduation?"

"Yeah, I am," I said.

"So are you ready for your graduation?"

"You already asked that," I said.

"You never answered," he said.

"True," I said. "I guess I'm ready. I can't wait to go to Pennsylvania."

"I won't have you to walk with me," he said.

"Oh, I didn't think about that," I said. "I'm sorry that I won't be here, Auggie."

"It's fine," he said. "I'll just have to find someone else."

We got to the apartment and went back in. Auggie asked me to follow him to his room and showed me a drawing he drew. It was a yellow-gold lioness with blue eyes. It was an amazing drawing with so much detail.

"Wow, Auggie," I said. "This is amazing."

"Really?" He asked. "You're not joking, right?"

"Auggie, I'm an artist," I said. "I would never joke about art. I really think it's amazing."

"Thanks," he said. "And I'm glad you think that because its for you." He held it out for me to take.

"Wait, really?"

"My teacher told us to draw someone we look up to as the animal they're like," he said. "So I chose you."

"Thanks Auggie," I said, taking the drawing. I gave him a hug.

**Josh's POV**

I picked Maya up from Cory's apartment and we went out for breakfast.

"Thanks for picking me up," she said as we pulled into IHOP. "I'll pay for breakfast."

"You don't need to do that," he said.

"You still don't have a job," I said. "You need to save as much money as you can. I'll pay for breakfast."

"Alright," I said. We went in and sat down. She ordered her chocolate chip pancakes and my blueberry pancakes. After the waitress walked away, I asked Maya "You memorized my order?"

"Yeah," she said. "I know it here, and I know you like the blueberry-banana smoothie at _Topanga's_, the normal blueberry smoothie used to be your favorite until you tasted that one."

"I love you," I said. "When do you have work again?"

"Nine," she said. "And I love you too. By the way, I saw you need gas, so we'll go by the gas station after this and I'll pay for your gas."

"Maya," I said.

"I take care of you, you take care of me," she said. "We're a team, Josh. I want to help you when you need it. Let me, please."

"Okay," I said. "Thank you for breakfast, I really appreciate it."

"My pleasure," she said. _What am I seeing here? Commitment? Love? Both. Is she giving me another sign? _

After we ate, we went to the gas station and she paid for my gas. I drove her back to my brother's apartment so she could get her car and go to work.

**Maya's POV**

I got to work and KC and Farkle were already there, with Aaron. So were Riley and Andrew, who were already taking orders.

"Hey where's mom?" I asked KC.

"In the back," she and Farkle said together.

"Okay," I said. The request bucket had quite a few papers in it. These were one's they've practiced. My mom came to the front. "Hey, do I have any deliveries?"

"Nope, not yet," she said. There were a few customers eating in, so KC reached into the request bucket.

"Alright so the first is a request," KC said. "So here's _Over My Head _by The Fray." _Of course one of mine was picked, _I thought. Aaron played drums again, he seems so focused. Farkle sang lead.

After they were done, KC grabbed another request. "So this is another request," KC said. "And I actually really relate to this song. Words can really hurt. It's also one of my personal favorites by Carrie Underwood. Here's _Little Toy Guns_." She sang it with pure passion. Farkle sang back up. My mom gave me some deliveries to take out. I took them and left to deliver them.

**KC's POV**

"So, this next one is a song that was a request that I think can work for _friendships_," I looked at Riley and Maya,_ "_as well as relationships," I said. "Friends get in fights and sometimes it doesn't have a pretty ending. Here's _Story of Us_ by Taylor Swift." Maya requested it.

_I used to think one day we'd tell the story of us/ How we met, and the sparks flew instantly/ People would say, "they're the lucky ones"/ I used to know my place was a spot next to you/ Now I'm searching the room for an empty seat/ 'Cause lately I don't even know what page you're on_

_Oh, a simple complication/ Miscommunications/ Lead to fall out/ So many things that I wish you knew/ So many walls up I can't break through_

**Now I'm standing alone/ In a crowded room/ And we're not speaking/ And I'm dying to know/ Is it killing you like it's killing me? Yeah/ I don't know what to say since the twist of fate/ When it all broke down and the story of us/ Looks a lot like a tragedy now/**

_Next chapter_

_How'd we end up this way?/ See me nervously pulling at my clothes/ And trying to look busy  
And you're doing your best to avoid me/ I'm starting to think one day I'll tell the story of us/ How I was losing my mind when I saw you here/ But you held your pride like you should have held me  
Oh, I'm scared to see the ending/ Why are we pretending this is nothing?/ I'd tell you I miss you but I don't know how/ I've never heard silence quite this loud_

**Now I'm standing alone/ In a crowded room/ And we're not speaking/ And I'm dying to know/ Is it killing you like it's killing me? Yeah/ I don't know what to say since the twist of fate/ When it all broke down and the story of us/ Looks a lot like a tragedy now/**

Farkle played the guitar solo.

_This is looking like a contest/ Of who can act like they care less/ But I liked it better when you were on my side/ _**The battle's in your hands now/ But I would lay my armor down/ If you'd say you'd rather love than fight**_  
So many things that you wish I knew/ But the story of us might be ending soon_

_Now I'm standing alone/ In a crowded room/ And_** we're not speaking/ And I'm dying to know/ Is it killing you like it's killing me? Yeah/ I don't know what to say since the twist of fate/ When it all broke down and the story of us/ Looks a lot like a tragedy now, now, now!**

**And we're not speaking/ And I'm dying to know/ Is it killing you **_like it's killing me? Yeah_**/ I don't know what to say since the twist of fate/ 'Cause we're going down and the story of us/ Looks a lot like a tragedy now/**

_The End_

We finished and there was applause. I recognized the girl from the soccer game in October. I told Farkle to take a break and went to talk to her.

"Hey, I don't think I ever got your name at that soccer game," I said.

"You remember me?" She asked.

"Yeah," I said.

"Oh wow, that's awesome!" She said. "My name's Rebecca."

"Well, it's nice to see you again, Rebecca," I said.

"Oh thank you!" She said. "You too! Oh, I don't want to keep you away from your job. Go and sing your heart out."

"Thanks," I said. I went back, and we started playing again.

**Riley's POV**

After I got off work, I went home, ate dinner, then went to my bedroom. I heard a knock at the window. It was Maya. I decided to let her in.

"Hey," she said.

"Hi," I said. "Why are you here?"

"I need to know what we are, Riley," she said. "I can't go on not knowing where we stand. I know we're not friends, and I know we're not enemies. I don't want to completely lose you. If I'm your aunt someday, I don't want us to not have a relationship."

"Well, I've been thinking a lot," I said. "And I forgive you."

"Thank you," she said.

"I guess if anything, we're acquaintances," I said. "I don't know if we'll ever get back to being friends, but you're right. If we're going to be family someday, we shouldn't not have a relationship."

"Thank you, Riley," she said. "I'll see you later." She crawled out the window. I closed the window, turned off the light, and laid down.


	16. Chapter 16: Girl Meets Happy

_**[March 11**__**th**__**, 2020]**_

**KC's POV**

Maya and I were setting up for the twins' party at our mom's apartment after school.

"I can't believe they're already one," I said.

"I know," Maya said. "How was present shopping with Aaron?"

"Oh, he wants to spoil them," I said. "I had to keep it to a two gift minimum for both of them."

"How many did he want to get?" Maya asked.

"Like ten each," I said.

"Oh wow," she said, laughing. I laughed with her.

"So what are mom and dad doing with the twins until the party?"

"They're taking them to the park," Maya said. "They love it there."

"Yeah, Lucas is going to bring Aaron to the party," I said.

"Where's Farkle?" She asked.

"Oh, he's with Lucas and Aaron," I said. "They went to Albany for some reason."

"Oh, okay," she said. "Are you going to keep that on forever?" She motioned to the ring around my neck.

"No," I said. "I'll leave it off someday."

"When you get married again?" She asked.

"Maybe," I said.

"Why do you keep it on?" She asked curiously.

"I keep it on because it's a memory. It's the only thing, other than my son, that helps me remember Jaxon," I said. "A lot of people have tried to tell that I'm wrong about that reason. They think I keep it on because I haven't let him go, like I haven't moved on just because I still wear it. To me, it represents the love I once had. That's not something I want to forget. Just because you fall in love again, doesn't mean you should forget what you once had."

"I think that's really sweet," Maya said. "You said, when you came, you'd take it off if you had a really good reason."

"When that reason comes, I'll know," I said. "Derrick was one of those people that hated that I still wore it. He treated me like it was worthless and that I should forget everything from back then."

"I don't think you should ever forget him," she said. "He was your first love, your first husband, that died. It's not like you broke up or divorced. He added to your happiness, just like Farkle does now."

"That's something that made me fall in love with Farkle," I said. "He understood. He's never going to _make me_ take it off, he wants me to do it in my own time. He started that Foundation and got those jackets made for Aaron and I. He knows I shouldn't forget, he know Aaron shouldn't either."

"Does Aaron ever ask about Jaxon?"

"Yeah," I said. "He asks what he was like. He asks if he's just as strong as he was. He's asked if I would show him his grave. I told him I will if he really wants to visit it."

"I'm glad he wants to know," Maya said. We sat on the couch since we were done decorating. "I'm also glad he still sees Farkle as his dad even though he knows he's not biologically his."

"Me too," I said. My phone dinged, and I checked the text from mom. "They're on their way."

We heard a knock on the door, Maya answered it. Farkle, Lucas, and Aaron were here.

"Hey boys, just in time," she said. "Mom, Shawn, and the twins are almost here."

"Where's Josh?" Lucas asked.

"He had a job interview," Maya said. "He'll be here when he can."

"Isn't that like the 20th interview he's had since he lost his job?" Lucas asked.

"15th," she said. "Why are you keeping tabs on my boyfriend?"

"I'm not, it was just a guess," he said. "How has he not gotten a job yet?"

"There's just little things they don't like on his applications," Farkle said. "Some of them won't hire him because they believe whatever his old boss feeds to them."

"I hope he gets one soon," Maya said. "I can tell it's getting to him."

"Yeah," Farkle said. "I can tell too."

**Maya's POV**

Mom and dad came home with the twins and we started the party.

We had lasagna for dinner. When it came to cake-time, the twins got their own little cakes. Johnathan started grabbing at the cake and eating it immediately. Angela looked at it and grabbed a handful and handed it out to mom.

"No, that's for you sweetie," mom said. I think she only recognized the word 'no' because she started crying.

"Ahhh," everyone said. I saw Josh come in. I walked over to him.

"Hey," I said.

"Hey," he said. "Why is Ang crying?"

"Mom wouldn't take her cake," I told him.

"Oh wow," he said. "Can I talk to you outside for a sec?"

"Sure," I said. We stepped out to the hall. "So what's up?"

"I wanted you to be the first to know," he said. "I got the job!"

"Really?" I asked. He picked me up and spun me around.

"Yes!" He was so happy. "I am now a part-time janitor at Abigail Adams High school."

"That's my school," I laughed.

"I know, that makes it even better," he said.

We went back into the party, and Angela was now happily eating her cake.

"Oh, man, I forgot presents," he said.

"Don't worry," I said. "I put both of our names on mine. You've been really stressed, don't feel bad for forgetting."

"Thank you," he said. "I love you."

"I love you too," I said.

"Thank you for helping me out when I couldn't do it myself."

"Always," I said. He wrapped his arms around me.

We watched Johnny and Angie open presents.

**Josh's POV**

I looked over and saw Maya's eyes were lit up watching her siblings opening her presents. I smiled.

_**Author's Note: **__You may notice that Riley isn't in this episode. I didn't notice 'til the end, but I figured since __**Cory **__wasn't actually in "Eric Hollywood", it's not bad to have one without her. Sorry if it upsets you. _


	17. Chapter 17: Girl Meets Gravestone

_**[March 19**__**th**__**, 2020]**_

**Riley's POV**

We went to my dad's class.

"Hey, where's KC?" I asked Maya.

"I'm not sure," she said.

"She's visiting Jaxon's grave in Austin," Farkle said. "I'm going to pick up her car after class."

"They'll be staying at Pappy Joe's house and will come back on Saturday," Lucas said. "She hasn't been to the graveyard since the funeral."

"How did you not know?" I asked Maya.

"She doesn't tell me everything," she said.

"Why don't they just come back today?" I asked.

"That would be way too tiring for them," Farkle said. "She actual considered it, but I didn't want her to have to rush everything and tire both of them out. So they're going to have a whole day to just spend time together. They need it."

"You want me to go with you to get the car so I can drive it back here?" Maya asked.

"Good idea," he said. "I actually didn't think of taking someone with me. Kind of dumb, huh?"

"_You_ dumb, Farkle?" Dad asked, walking into the room. "That's impossible." Farkle laughed. "Sorry that I'm late. I was making copies and they fell into the shredder so I had to start over."

"Copies of what?" Maya asked.

"Pop quiz," he said with a smile.

"Cornelius," Maya said. Farkle, Lucas, and I held back our laughter. "Why must you do stuff like this?"

"Do not call me that," he said. "And you might like this one." He handed out the quiz.

**Maya's POV**

I looked at the quiz. It was literally about pop-or soda, soft drink, soda pop- whatever you call it. The history of different kinds.

"Okay Matthews," I said. "You seriously had to have ran out of stuff for you to do something as dumb as this."

"You're seniors now, get off my back," he said. "By the way, has anyone gotten acceptance letters yet?"

"I rose my hand and said "Yeah, I got accepted to the Tyler School of Art."

"Congrats, Maya!" Cory said.

"I got accepted to A&M," Lucas said.

"I got accepted to NMHU and NYU," Darby said.

"Zay and I were both accepted to Princeton," Isadora said.

"Really?" Riley asked.

"Yeah," Zay said. "But I don't know if I want to go." Smackle stood up and walked out of the room.

"Is she okay?" I asked Zay.

"She wants me to go, but you know me, I'm not much for school," he said. "She said if I got in, I should go. But I think I may want to do something else."

"You have to be doing really good in school if you were accepted," Riley said.

"Yeah, but just because I'm making those grades doesn't mean I have to go to Princeton or any college," he said. "She talked me into applying."

"Well at least think about it before deciding," Cory said. "This could be a chance in a lifetime.

"I'm done," I said, and handed my pop quiz to Cory.

"Class dismissed," he said. Zay ran out to talk to Smackle.

_**[The Next Day, in Austin, Texas]**_

**KC's POV**

I took Aaron to the cemetery to visit Jaxon's grave. We walked past a lot of headstones I recognized. I stopped at one- Alexander Babineaux- Isaiah's grandfather.

"Who's that?" Aaron asked.

"You know Uncle Luke's friend, Isaiah?"

"Zay?" He asked.

"Yeah," I said. "This is his grandpa's grave."

"Oh," he said. "Was he nice like Zay?"

"I don't know," I said. "He was gone before I moved here."

"I think he was," he said.

"Me too," I said. We moved on to Jaxon's grave. My eyes traced the design engraved into it. "Aaron—"

"This is dad's grave?" I looked down at him.

"Yes," I said. "He loved you so much. He couldn't wait to meet you."

"He loved you too, right?" He asked.

"Yeah, he did," I said. I wrapped my arms around him.

"Do you miss him?" He asked.

"Yeah, I do," I said. "He was such a good guy. He took care of us."

"Do you still love him?" He asked.

"Yes, a part of me will always love him," I said. "It will always be there. I will never forget him."

"Me neither," he said. He looked over at the gravestone next to Jaxon's. "Is that Grandpa?"

"Yeah buddy, that's your grandpa's grave," I said.

"I miss him," he said.

"I do too," I said.

Can I ask you a question?"

"Of course," I said.

"Does that mean I have two daddies?" He asked. "One with God, and one here?"

"Yeah, you can look at it anyway you want," I said. "I actually really like that idea.

"I love you and daddy more than this much," he said holding out his arms.

"I know, you show us that every day," I told him. "And we love you just as much, more than you could ever know."

"Can I pray, mommy?"

"Of course," I said. He folded his hands and bowed his head.

"Dear God, can You please tell my daddy that's with You that my mommy is happy. My daddy here loves us so much, and we're okay," he said. "And please tell grandpa that I miss him and I miss his jokes. I hope he makes You laugh too. Amen." I smiled. My eyes began to water.

He sat in front of the graves for a bit, staring at the flowers. I reached behind my neck and unclipped my chain. I took the ring off and went to put it on top of Jaxon's gravestone, but stopped. I put it in my pocket instead. _I know exactly what I'm going to do with it_, I thought.

"Can we go now?" He asked.

"Yeah," I said. I took his hand in mine and we left the cemetery.

We went to the Barton Creek Square (mall) and had lunch. We shopped around. I got us new outfits and some candy for later after dinner.

_**[March 21**__**st**__**, 2020]**_

**Farkle's POV**

Everyone was setting everything up for the surprise for KC and Aaron. It was 2:30pm. I headed to the airport to pick them up. I waited until they came out. Aaron ran to me when he saw me. KC followed him. They both hugged me. We got in the car.

"Are you hungry?" I asked them.

"Yeah," Aaron said.

"Yeah, we didn't eat on the plane," KC said. "He slept almost the whole flight, and the food didn't look appetizing at all."

"Does _Bobby's Barbeque_ sound good?" I asked.

"Yeah," KC said.

"I think we should start taking him there sometimes," I said, "like your mom took you."

**KC's POV**

The way he worded that. We. Not _you should_ but _we should_.

We went into _Bobby's Barbeque_ and sat down.

"Hey KC, Farkle, and _Aaron_, right?" Mario asked.

"Yeah," I said.

"Can I start you off with drinks?"

"Yeah, two medium Cream of Roots, and one small?" He wanted to confirm with me.

"Yes," I said. "We'll have that." Mario brought them out within a minute.

"I'll be right back, I'm going to the bathroom," Farkle said.

"Okay," I said. Aaron and I started drinking our Cream of Roots. After his first drink, he got a huge smile on his face. I saw Farkle coming over to the table with his _guitar_, he went to the stage instead of sitting down.

"This is dedicated to my beautiful girlfriend and _our_ son," he said. I about burst into tears when he said that. Maya came out from the kitchen and took Farkle's guitar. Farkle went over to the piano. Maya started playing the guitar.

_**Never was the kind to think about dressing in a suit and tie/ Wasn't waiting on a Queen to come and walk into my life/ Thought I was happy on my own/ 'Til you came and proved me wrong**_

_**I finally found what I never knew I always wanted/ I couldn't see, I was blind 'til my eyes were opened/ I didn't know there was a hole/ Something missing in my soul/ 'Til you filled it up with your love, yeah **_

_**Never pictured myself singing lullabies/ Reading you stories at night/ In the quiet, in the dark/ You're stealing every bit of my heart/ With your light blue eyes/ What a sweet surprise**_

_**And now I'm holdin' what I never knew I always wanted/ I couldn't see, I was blind 'til my eyes were opened/ I didn't know there was a hole/ Something missing in my soul/ 'Til you filled it up, oh, with your love**_

_**Life has a way of showing you just what you need/ And who you were made to be, yeah**_

_**I finally found what I never knew I always wanted/ I couldn't see, I was blind 'til my eyes were opened/ I didn't know there was a hole/ Something missing in my soul/ 'Til you filled it up with your love/ Yeah, you filled it up with your love, yeah**_

_**Never was the kind to think about dressing in a suit and tie/ I never pictured myself singing lullabies**_

After they finished, I walked up to him.

I was about to speak when he said, "Before you say anything, I'd like to say something." I let him go on. "I knew I made the right choice by asking you out when I saw your smile when we first came here over two years ago. I fell in love with everything you are. I fell in love with your smile, laugh, what a great mother you are, everything. I meant what I said then. I saw potential, and that's not what it is now. I want to be with you for the rest of my life." I looked into his eyes. He got down on one knee and took a box out of his pocket. "Katy Carmela Friar, will you marry me."

"Yes," I said. He kissed me and melted into the kiss. We parted and he put the ring on my finger. I looked around and realized all of my friends and family were there around us cheering. Everyone took their time hugging and congratulating us. Stuart and Jennifer came up to me and hugged me, Farkle picked Aaron up and brought him over to where I was.

"We've always wanted a daughter," Stuart said. "Now we get one." I smiled.

"Hi grandpa, hi grandma!" Aaron yelled. Jennifer took him from Farkle and started talking to him.

"Congrats KC," Riley said.

"Thanks Ri."

Mario and the others brought out a buffet. Farkle had planned everything out. We all ate and talked about the engagement and Aaron and I's trip.

"You're not wearing your ring," Maya told me. "So I take you found a good reason."

"Yeah, I definitely did," I said. I watched as Josh whisked her away and they danced together. I smiled.

_**Author's Note: **__The song I used in this chapter is "What I Never Knew I Always Wanted" by Carrie Underwood. A reviewer mentioned that it made them think of Joshaya. I realized, though, that it worked for KC and Farkle in my Fanfic (With a few changed words). Hope you liked it! _

_I rewrote part of it because I didn't like how I wrote part of it._


	18. Chapter 18: Girl Meets Second Amendment

_**Author's Note: **__This chapter was co-written with BostonGirlJM_

_**[Friday, March 27**__**th**__**, 2020]**_

**Riley's POV**

I walked into my dad's classroom, everyone else was already there. _Guns _was written on the board. I sat down.

"Can anyone tell me what the second amendment is?" Dad asked.

"The right of the people to keep and bare Arms," KC said.

"It forbids the government from taking the citizens guns," Farkle said.

"But no one should own their own guns because they could just shoot anyone anytime they want," Brandon said.

"Most people own guns to protect themselves or to hunt," KC said. "Most people aren't trigger-hungry."

"If you're in trouble, why not just call the cops?" Dave asked.

"Well, not everybody is able to get to a phone," Dad said. "Sometimes protecting yourself is the only option."

"If no one owned a gun, there wouldn't be all of these shootings," Sarah said.

"You do know most shooters don't have the guns legally, right?" Lucas asked.

"Yeah, like the Columbine shooting. They obviously didn't get those legally, they were in high school," Maya said.

"Honestly, if people took mental health seriously that could help the problem," KC said. "If someone does a shooting, they obviously have something up."

"The man who shot Christina Grimmie definitely did," Maya said. "He was completely obsessed with her."

"Anyone with a mental health problem should definitely not own a gun," Darby said.

"Why do you say that?" Dad asked.

"Because anyone that has a mental disorder has a chance of doing that," she said.

"Anyone does," I said.

"What I mean is that nobody takes mental health seriously and that's part of the problem," KC said. "Not everyone is treated for their disorder and it could be the cause of the shooting. People that do these type of things need help. Some of these could have prevented if it was taken seriously."

"Name one," Brandon said.

"Okay," KC said. "The Thousand Oakes shooter was a military vet. He was screened by _supposed_ mental health experts and they believed that he had PTSD. They released him without giving him any treatment. If they had treated him, that shooting could have been prevented."

"He was mentally incompetent because he had PTSD, so he shouldn't have had a gun," Darby said. "That's my point."

"Having PTSD does not mean you are mentally incompetent," KC said. "If it is well taken care of, you can be mentally competent with PTSD and other mental illnesses."

"That was very well said, KC," dad said. "The forefathers believed that we should have the right to protect ourselves against our enemies and the government. That's why it's in the Constitution."

"There are people who want to take guns away from everyone," Lucas said. "But that would be unconstitutional."

"Yes, it would be," dad said. "That's why some people want to take it out of the Constitution."

"If they take guns away, that won't do anything other than make us defenseless," I said.

The bell rang.

"Alright, looks like we're out of time," dad said. "For your assignment over the weekend, I want you all to write a one page paper on why you believe in the second amendment or not."

We left the classroom to head to our next class. I noticed some of my classmates were vigorously typing away on their phones.

**Lucas' POV **

After school, I went to the Kingston Stables for work. I work with horses and help people, especially children, with riding the horses. I started helping a little girl onto a horse. I walked her through how to talk to the horse and how to stay balanced. She caught on quickly despite how nervous she was at first, this being her first time riding a horse. My coworker and manager, Chloe, took over with the little girl, and told me to go see if anyone else needed help. I saw a woman, with auburn hair and brown eyes, riding Sunrise (one of the more hard-to-control horses).

"Hi ma'am," I said. "Do you need any help?"

"No, I think I got her under control," she said. "She's one of my favorites here."

"Mine too," I said.

"What's your name?"

"Lucas Friar," I said.

"Pleased to meet you, Lucas," she said. "My name is Taylor McKenzie." I just now realized she has a country accent.

"Nice to meet you, Taylor," I said. "How long have you been riding horses?"

"Since I was five," she said. I looked over and saw some more people coming in.

"I should probably see if they need any help," I said.

"Yeah, you probably should, cowboy," she said. That made me smile.

I went over to see if anyone needed help. They said they didn't as they got ready. I stayed and supervised as I had been trained to. After they began riding, I looked over and saw Taylor riding Sunrise. She was jumping her over the obstacles so flawlessly. She looked over and saw me as she had slowed down. She tucked some loose hair behind her ear. I looked away. I could feel a blush forming on my face.

"Sir?" I heard. I looked over and saw a father and son. "Could you help my son onto this horse?"

"Yessir," I said. "But he will need to put on the proper protection before I can do that."

"Alright," he said. "Thank you."

"Welcome," I said. They walked over to the protection equipment.

"Liked what you saw?" I heard from behind me. I jumped slightly. I turned around. It was Taylor.

"What?"

"I saw you staring," she said.

"Oh, that," I said.

"Yeah, that," she laughed.

"You're a very good rider," I said. "Especially with Sunshine."

"Well, I'd hope so," she said. "I've been riding for eighteen years."

"So you're twenty-three?" I asked.

"Yeah," she said. "How old are you?"

"Nineteen," I said. "I noticed you have a country accent. Would you mind telling me where you're from?"

"Not at all," she said. "I'm from Austin, Texas."

"Really?" I asked. "Me too. I'm planning on going to A&M for a bachelor's degree in veterinary medicine."

"Nice. I just graduated from there last year," she said, "with a bachelor's degree in Nursing."

"That's awesome," I said. "My grandma was a nurse."

"Wow," Taylor said.

"What?" I asked, worried I said something wrong.

"I have never heard anyone say that going for nursing is awesome," she said.

"Well, that's dumb, because it is," I said.

"Sir, can you help my son on the horse now?" The father from before asked.

"Yessir," I said. I made sure everything was secure and helped him onto the horse. "What's your name?" I asked the boy.

"Cameron," he said.

"Is this your first time riding a horse?" I asked.

"Yeah," he said. I smiled and guided him through everything.

At six, I clocked out and was surprised to see that Taylor was still there.

"Hey," I said. "We're closing up."

"I know," she said. "Need any help putting the rest of the horses back in their stables?"

"You can put Sunshine back if you want," I said. "She seems to really like you."

"You think so?"

"Yeah," I said. We led the horses to their stables.

"Hey Lucas," she said.

"Yeah?"

"Would you like to go out to dinner sometime?" She asked. "I know we just met, but I really like what I've learned about you and I'd really like if we could continue that."

"Yeah, I'd like that," I said. "Tonight?"

"Sure," she said. "I know a really good restaurant. Would you like to go now or go home and change first?"

"I think we're fine." We left in our separate cars, and I followed her to the restaurant.

**Riley's POV**

I was walking to the Subway Station to ride the Subway home, when I passed the window of a restaurant near _Topanga's_. I saw a familiar face. _Lucas_. He was with another girl, laughing with her. He looked genuinely happy. Something in me built up. _Jealousy_.

I got home and my dad and mom were in the kitchen. Neither of them looked happy.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"I have been suspended until further notice," dad said. "A lot of parents complained about the lesson and assignment today. They want me fired." I was completely shocked.


	19. Chapter 19: Girl Meets The Shot

_**[April 3**__**rd**__**, 2020]**_

**Farkle's POV**

Lucas, Zay, KC, Riley, Isadora, and I were sitting in Mr. Matthews' classroom waiting for class to start. Riley was sitting a few seats away from us. Mr. Matthews still hasn't been reinstated yet. I really hope he doesn't get fired.

"So you must really like this girl," I told Lucas.

"Yeah, I'm going to ask her to be my girlfriend tonight," he said.

**Riley's POV**

I heard him say that, and my stomach turned. He's definitely moved on. _Why is this upsetting me so much? _I thought. Maya and some other students came in.

**Farkle's POV**

"I still can't believe she grew up on the same street as us," KC said.

"Yeah, I know," Lucas said.

Mr. Feeny came in. He has been teaching the class since Mr. Matthews was suspended.

"Hello all," he said. "I see most of you are not here today." I hadn't noticed that, I looked around, and he was right. Only a few of us were here.

"Good morning, Mr. Feeny," we all said.

"Do all of you know who Alexander Hamilton was?"

"That's who the Musical _Hamilton_ is based on, right?" Riley asked.

"Yes," I said. "Alexander Hamilton was one of the founding fathers."

"Correct," Mr. Feeny said.

"He lived here, didn't he?" Maya asked. "He practiced law."

"Yes," Mr. Feeny said.

"He actually wasn't able to graduate because the school closed their doors before he could," KC said. "But in 1782, he passed the bar exam and was able to argue cases before the Supreme Court."

"He was active in ending the international slave trade," Zay said.

"He opposed Aaron Burr when he ran for governor of New York," I said. "Aaron took offence and challenged him to a duel."

"Talk about butthurt," Maya said. We all laughed.

"Burr shot Hamilton and he died the next day," KC said.

"He also had two sons named Philip," Isadora said.

"Do you know when Mr. Matthews is coming back?" Lucas asked.

"No, I do not," Mr. Feeny said. "Unfortunately, it is out of Superintendent Turner's hands."

"Whose hands is it in?" Maya asked.

"The school board's," he said. "I truly hope that they come to the right decision."

"Us too, sir," Lucas said.

**Riley's POV**

I put a song request into the basket when I got to work. KC and Farkle came in right after and started setting up equipment.

I started taking a couples' order. Andrew was taking an order to a group of kids.

**Auggie's POV**

Ava and I have been walking together at the park.

"Hey Ava?" I asked.

"Yeah, Auggie?"

"Do you think we will really get married someday?" I asked.

"I hope we will," she said. "We're still young, who knows what will happen?"

"I wish I did," I said.

"You shouldn't," she said.

"Why not?"

"Because if you knew what would happen you would probably not have wanted to," she said. "Life is supposed to be full of surprises. It would be boring otherwise. Also we could mess it up if we knew."

"True," I said. "I love you."

"I love you too," she said. "Is your sister okay?" We sat on swings.

"Why?"

"She seems different," she said. "And her and Maya aren't friends anymore."

"She's definitely gone through stuff," I said. "But she won't talk to me about serious stuff anymore."

"Does Maya talk to you about serious stuff on your walks?"

"Yeah," I said. "We talk about a lot of stuff. Some stuff we keep between us because it's really important."

"Speaking of serious stuff, how are you?"

"I had a flare last week, but it wasn't as bad as some of them are," I said.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Auggie," she said. "I know it's hard on you. I know it wasn't as bad, but it'd be nice if you didn't have to deal with it at all."

"I know," I said. It started raining.

"Come on, let's go home," mom said. We ran to the car.

**Riley's POV**

At about seven, Lucas and that Taylor girl came in. They sat down together and ordered a smoothie to share.

"Alright, we're going to do a new request," KC said. "We already know this one, so hope you like it. _All My Friends_ by AJ Mitchell."

_These rooms got a lot of space/ Crowded but a lonely place/ Sittin' at a table full of double dates/ And everywhere I go I wanna see your face/ Pictures, I'm reminded/ Of good times, how we tried it __**(Tried it)**__/ Don't know how to get you out of my head/ I don't have it in me to deny it_

_'Cause everybody, everybody knows something I don't/ And I wonder, and I wonder how to keep a good thing going _

_All my friends are falling in love/ All my friends are locking it up/ _**But I can't seem to settle down/ 'Cause I'm waiting on you to come around**_/ While all my friends are falling in love_

I passed by where Lucas and Taylor were sitting.

"Will you go steady with me?" Lucas asked her. She laughed a little. "I mean, will you be my girlfriend?"

"I knew what you meant. I've just never heard someone around our age use that phrase," she said.

"Guess I'm kind of old-fashioned," he said.

"I like old-fashioned," she told him.

"_I like old fashioned_," I mockingly repeated. _They annoy me. Why did he have to fall for someone else?_ I thought. _I better get away before she says—_

"Yes, I'll go steady with you," she said.

_All my friends are falling in love/ All my friends are locking it up/ _**But I can't seem to settle down/ 'Cause I'm waiting on you to come around**_/ While all my friends are falling in love_

**Falling in love/ Falling in love**

_'Cause everybody, everybody knows something I don't/ And I wonder, and I wonder how to keep a good thing going_

_All my friends are falling in love/ All my friends are locking it up/ _**But I can't seem to settle down/ 'Cause I'm waiting on you to come around**_/ While all my friends are falling in love_

_Falling in love / Falling in love/ Falling in love_

**But I can't seem to settle down/ 'Cause I'm waiting on you to come around**_/ While all my friends are falling in love_

I took them their drink, restricting the urge to throw it on them, and stayed away from them for the rest of the night.

When I got off from work, I was about to start walking.

"Hey Riley, wait up!" I heard Andrew call behind me. I stopped.

"It's pouring, want a ride?" He asked.

"Sure," I said. "Could we actually go somewhere else? Like to hang out? I need to clear my head."

"We could hang out at my apartment," he said.

"Okay," I said. "Sounds good."

He drove us to his apartment. We got inside and started talking.

"You seemed a little off today," he said.

"Yeah, sorry about that," I said. "I just have a lot on my mind."

"No it's fine," he said. "Everyone has off days. I just wanted to make sure you're okay."

"Thanks," I said. We kept talking. After a while he started showing me sketches he did of celebrities.

"I've been drawing since I was 5," he said. "I just started noticing details on faces and stuff."

"Yeah," I said.

"You know like the jawline and the—" I kissed him. Out of nowhere, I kissed him. I had to feel something. Something other than numbness and jealousy. I pulled away and leaned in again. He didn't pull away. We kept kissing. I pulled on his shirt and he let me take it off.

_**[The Next Morning]**_

I woke up next to Andrew. He was still asleep. I put my clothes back on and left as quietly as I could. I felt guilty. I fired the shot, I used him, and I just left.


	20. Chapter 20: Girl Meets Avoid

_**[Thursday, April 9**__**th**__**, 2020]**_

**Riley's POV**

It's the first day of Spring Break. I got to work before everyone else, except Katy. I started wiping off tables. KC and Farkle came in shortly after me. They set up the equipment. Andrew came in. I went up to Katy.

"Need help with anything?" I asked her.

"Yes," she said. "Can you get me blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, and kiwi out of the back freezer?"

"Sure," I said. I went to the back.

**Auggie's POV**

I'm home watching tv with dad. It was almost lunch time. I heard a knock on the door. I went to answer it. It was Ava. Tears were streaming down her face.

"Ava, are you okay?" I asked. Dad looked over and saw her.

"No, she said. I hugged her. She started crying hard. Dad closed the door. We walked over to the couch and sat down.

"What's wrong, Ava?" I asked, stroking her hair. She stopped crying and looked in my eyes. I wiped the tears off her face with my thumbs. She breathed for a bit.

"Two older boys tried to hurt me at the park," she said. "I ran away before they could." I looked at her. Her skirt was ripped and I could have sworn I saw a bruise forming on her arm. Dad looked really concerned. I was really upset. Two boys made her cry. Two boys hurt my girlfriend.

"How old were these boys?" Dad asked.

"I don't know," she said. "I just know they're older."

"Where was your mom?" I asked.

"She told me to go alone," she said. "Those boys chased me here. I don't know if they're still outside or not." Dad stood up and locked the door.

"I'll be right back," dad said. "Stay with her." He went into the other room. She started crying again, I held her.

**Riley's POV**

I went back to the back again. I could hear Andrew behind me.

"What are you doing back here?" I asked him.

"We need to talk," he said.

"Why would we need to talk?" I asked, pretending not to know.

"You've been avoiding me like I'm the plague," Andrew said. "Did I do something?"

"No," I said. "It's just awkward."

"It's only awkward because you're making it that way," he said. "That night was—"

"A mistake," I said.

"What?" He looked completely shocked.

"That's why I left before you woke up," I said. "It shouldn't have happened."

"Maybe I don't see it that way," he said.

"Andrew, it was a mistake," I said again. "How do you not see it that way?"

"Maybe because I've like you for a while now and thought that maybe that was your way of letting me know you liked me back," he said. "It was based on stupid decisions to take it that far. I agree it probably shouldn't have gone that far, but you kissed me first, Riley. I thought it meant something."

"I'm sorry," I said. "I didn't mean to make you think that."

"I didn't think you'd be that shallow," he said. "I believe that a kiss and sex are supposed to be driven by love. I didn't expect you to just leave and ignore me as much as you could."

"Andrew—"

"But if you just want to pretend that nothing happened, fine," he said. "I'm going back to work." He walked back to the front.

**Auggie's POV**

A cop came by and talked to Ava. He said they saw two about 15 to 16 year olds run when they got close to our apartment. The cop then said he was going to go have a long talk with Ava's mom.

**KC's POV**

We got off, and Farkle and I headed to our vehicles. His phone rang.

"Hey mom," he said into the phone. "What?!" Something was wrong. "Yeah, I'll be right there!" He hung up the phone.

"What's wrong?"

"My dad had a brain aneurism," he said. "I need to go to the hospital."

"Oh my gosh!" I said. "Do you want me to go with you?"

"Don't you need to get Aaron from Rachel's?"

"Yeah," I said. "Right. My mind went blank. Sorry."

"Go ahead and go home," he said. "I'll keep you updated."

"Okay," I said. "I'll pray for him."

"Thanks," he said. "Don't tell Aaron, I don't want to worry him."

"Okay," I said. I got in the car and drove home.

_**Author's Note: **__Sorry for the short Chapter. It just ended up being short. Hope you like it nonetheless!_

_It was very saddening to hear about Cameron Boyce's death a few days ago. It's very sad to hear about someone so young dying. I have never heard of someone that young dying in their sleep, and it is truly heartbreaking. He was only somewhat over two years younger than me, I enjoyed watching him in __**Jessie**__,__** Grownups 1&2**__,____and the __**Descendants **__movies. He was a gifted actor. He will be missed. _

_**RIP Cameron Boyce, May 28**__**th**__**, 1999 – July 6**__**th**__**, 2019**_


	21. Chapter 21: Girl Meets Another One

_**[April 10**__**th**__**, 2020]**_

**Riley's POV**

I went to work, and saw KC was there, without Farkle, setting up the equipment.

"Hey, where's Farkle?" I asked her.

"Oh, you didn't hear?" I was confused.

"Hear about what?" I asked.

"Farkle's dad had a brain aneurysm and it ruptured," KC said. "Farkle's been at the hospital since last night."

"What?" I asked. "Oh, that's horrible!"

"I know," she said. "He said he'll call me when he wants me to go over there."

"Why not just go?" I asked.

"He wanted to be alone with his mom for now," she said. "He asked me not to tell Aaron about it either because he doesn't want to scare him."

"Where is Aaron?" I asked.

"With Rachel," she said. "I was going to see if your dad would watch him today, but he said they were dealing something."

**KC's POV**

"Yeah, something happened with Ava yesterday," Riley said. "She staying with us for a bit."

"What happened?" I asked, concerned.

"Her mom told her to go to the park alone, and some boys tried to hurt her," she said.

"Tried to hurt her how?" mom asked.

"She didn't say," Riley said. "But her skirt was ripped and she has a bruise on her arm."

"How old were the boys?" I asked. I didn't know if I wanted to know, though.

"15 or 16," Riley answered. Mom and I put our hands over our mouths.

"Oh my gosh," I said. "That's horrifying."

"I know," Riley said. "She was still crying when I got home."

"Why is she staying at your apartment?" I asked.

"CPS is concerned with how she's being raised," Riley said. "They're investigating her mom."

"I've let Maya go to your apartment alone," mom said.

"That's not what they're concerned about."

"Then what are they concerned about?" I asked.

"They think she may be neglecting her," she said. "Especially since she went directly to Auggie and not her mom."

"Well I hope—" Mom started. My phone rang.

"It's Farkle," I said. I answered. "Hey…Yeah, I'll be right over there." I got tears in my eyes.

"Is everything okay?" Mom asked.

"I…I gotta go," I said. I grabbed my jacket and rushed out the door.

When I got to the hospital, I immediately ran up to Farkle and hugged him.

"What's going on?"

"He had a stroke and fell into a coma," he said. I looked at him. Tears were streaming down his face. He sat down and I sat next to him. He laid his head on my shoulder.

**Riley's POV**

I was wiping off tables. It was almost three o'clock in the afternoon. KC's still at the hospital with Farkle. I realized that Andrew never showed up for work.

"Hey Katy?" I asked.

"Yeah?"

"Wasn't Andrew supposed to work today?"

"He called in," she said. "Said he didn't feel well." _That has to be my fault_, I thought.

"Oh ok," I said. No one has been in for an hour.

KC walked in.

"Hey, how's Farkle's dad?" I asked.

"Um… He's in a coma," KC said. KC cleared her throat. "He had had a stroke and fell into a coma. They don't expect him to survive anymore than _48 hours_." Her voice cracked at the end.

"How's Farkle?" Katy asked.

"He's a mess," she said. "He told me to go back to work. He doesn't even want his mom near him right now."

"Poor Farkle," I said.

"I, um, should probably get back to working," KC said walking to the stage.

"Sweetie, maybe you should go home," Katy said. "I know this is hard on you too."

"No, I'm getting married in a little over a month," she said. "We need as much money as we can get built up."

"KC—" Katy said.

"Mom! Please just let me work. Please just let me sing," KC said. "It helps me. It's therapy. I already lost one father-in-law, I don't want to have think about the fact I may lose another one!" She started hyperventilating.

"I'm sorry KC," Katy said. She wrapped her in a hug. KC's breathing slowed down and she walked up to the stage. A few people walked in. Two of them sat at one table, the two others sat at another. I went to take one of the table's orders, and Katy took the others. KC set up a computer and hooked it up to the speakers.

"So my fiancé has begun trying out music production," KC said. "He recreated the beat for this song that I am about to perform. Hope you like it. It's called _You Say_ and it's by FAVELA and Naomi Scott. He prerecorded his vocals. I have yet to do mine." She started the music and after a bit Farkle's vocals came through the speakers.

_**You say, you, you say/ Something that I need to hear/ You say, you, you say/ Something that dissolves my fears**_

_**I can't believe I let my guard down again/ Thinking like a level-headed man/ In these words I finally realize the truth/ That my judgement is a dead end in comparison to you/ And no one prepares me better/ Fold my garments up before the turn in weather/ No, I do not see around future corners/ Just a single word is all that I'll yearn for, 'cause**_

_**You say, you, you say/ Something that I need to hear/ You say, you, you say/ Something that dissolves my fears**_

_Give me time, I'll waste it/ Give me the truth and I will find a way to block it out/ And I'll choose my doubt/ Yeah, yeah/ Yeah, yeah/ And I will tell you what is on my mind/ But never listen to answers/ And when the time has come for you to write me off/ You call me to deeper water_

**You say, you, you say/ Something that I need to hear/ You say, you, you say/ Something that dissolves my fears**

_**Just the whisper of a syllable/ Is enough to make a starving person full/ Forget my flesh-devouring appetite/ Your words could be my sustenance for life**_

_**You say, you, you say/ Something that I need to hear**_**/ You say, you, you say/ Something that dissolves my fears**

**You say, you, you say/ Something that I need to hear/ You say, you, you say/ Something that dissolves my fears**

**Farkle's POV**

I was sitting by my dad's hospital bed. I looked at the time. _One in the morning_. My mom came into the room.

"Farkle, you should probably go home and get some sleep," she said.

"No, I need to stay here," I said.

"You need to sleep," she said. "I can ask KC pick you up if you want."

"Fine," I said. "Please keep me updated."

"I will, sweetie," she said. She called KC. She answered right away.

**KC's POV**

I drove Farkle to my apartment. Maya told me Josh went out of town, and I didn't want him to be alone. He fell asleep as soon as he hit the couch. I covered him up with a blanket and kissed him on the head. I locked the door and went to bed.


	22. Chapter 22: Girl Meets Healing

_**[April 12, 2020]**_

**KC's POV**

I walked into work and started setting up the equipment. Mom, with Topanga's permission, made me take yesterday off.

"Hey KC," Andrew said. "Heard about Farkle's dad's situation. How are they?"

"They're taking Stuart off of life support today," I said. "The doctors don't think he'll survive without it, but we're not giving up hope. Farkle slept almost all day yesterday."

"Poor guy," Andrew said. Riley was taking orders. "This must be really hard on him."

"It is," I said.

**Auggie's POV**

Ava and I went to the park with my dad today. She asked me to stay by her side, so I did.

"You'd never hurt me, right?" She asked as we sat on the swings.

"Right," I said. She looked down. "You mean everything to me, Ava. I love you."

"I don't know why, but I'm still scared," she said.

"Of those guys?" I asked. "They were caught."

"I know," she said. "But…" She trailed off.

"But what?"

"I've been having nightmares about it," she said.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I don't want you to worry about me."

"I'm supposed to protect you," I said. "I can't if you don't tell me things like this."

"You can't protect me from my own head, Auggie," she said.

"I can try," I said. "Maybe talking about it will help."

"Maybe," she said. I held her hand. She looked in my eyes.

"What happened?" I asked.

"I was sitting on a bench and they came over and sat by me," she said. "That weirded me out, but, you know, I thought maybe they just needed to sit down." She held my hand tighter. "Then one of them put his hand on my leg. I pushed it off. The other one called me beautiful. I got really uncomfortable. I got up to leave and the first one grabbed onto my skirt and pulled me back onto the bench. He tore it." She squeezed my hand even harder and looked like she was about to cry. It hurt but I didn't show it. "He put his hand back on my leg and started moving up. The other one squeezed my arm really hard. I shoved the first one's hand away and stood up and ran, breaking the second one's hold on my arm. They chased me until I got to your place."

She started crying and let go of my hand.

"I'm sorry, Ava," I said. "I shouldn't have asked. I didn't mean to make you cry."

"You didn't," she said. "I needed to tell someone." I held my hand out and she took it. I looked over and dad was sitting on a nearby bench watching us. He mouthed _Is she okay?_ I mothed back _Yes_.

**Riley's POV**

Farkle walked into _Topanga's_ with his guitar.

"Farkle?" I asked, concerned. "What are you doing here?"

"I need to do a song," he said.

"Hey Farkle," Katy said. "How are you doing?"

"I need to play a song," he said. Katy nodded in understanding and motioned towards the stage. Farkle plugged in his guitar. He whispered to KC and she nodded to him. This must be one they've practiced. "This is _Broken _by Lifehouse." I looked at the clock, it was 2:45.

_**The broken clock is a comfort/ It helps me sleep tonight/ Maybe it can't stop tomorrow/ From stealing all my time/ And I am here still waiting/ Though I still have my doubts/ I am damaged at best/ Like you've already figured out**_

_**I'm falling apart/ I'm barely breathing/ With a broken heart/ That's still beating/ In the pain/ There is healing/ In Your name/ I find meaning**_

_**So I'm holdin' on/ I'm holdin' on/ I'm holdin' on/ I'm barely holdin' on to you**_

Farkle's voice was shaking.

_**The broken locks were a warning/ You got inside my head/ I tried my best to be guarded/ I'm an open book instead/ **_**And I still see your reflection/ Inside of my eyes/ That are looking for a purpose**_**/ They're still looking for life**_

_**I'm falling apart**_**/ I'm barely breathing/ **_**With a broken heart**_**/ That's still beating/ **_**In the pain (**__in the pain__**)**_**/ There is healing/ **_**In Your name (**__in Your name__**)**_**/ I find meaning**

_**So I'm holdin' on (**__I'm still holdin'__**)/ I'm holdin' on (**__I'm still holdin'__**)/ I'm holdin' on (**__I'm still holdin'__**)/**_** I'm barely holdin' on to You**

Tears are streaming down his face now.

_**I'm hangin' on another day/ Just to see what You will throw my way/ And I'm hanging on to the words You say/ You said that I will, will be okay**_

_**The broken lights on the freeway left me here alone/ I may have lost my way now, haven't forgotten my way home**_

He looked up.

_**I'm falling apart**_**/ I'm barely breathing/ **_**With a broken heart**_**/ That's still beating/ **_**In the pain (**__in the pain__**)**_**/ There is healing/ **_**In Your name (**__in Your name__**)**_**/ I find meaning**

_**So I'm holdin' on (**__I'm still holdin'__**)/ I'm holdin' on (**__I'm still holdin'__**)/ I'm holdin' on (**__I'm still holdin'__**)/**__**I'm barely holdin' on to You**_

Farkle started screaming out the ending.

_**I'm holdin' on (**__I'm still holdin'__**)/ I'm holdin' on (**__I'm still holdin'__**)/ I'm holdin' on (**__I'm still holdin'__**)/**__**I'm barely holdin' on to You**_

After they were done, Farkle walked off the stage, breathing heavily.

"Farkle?" I asked. He collapsed into a chair and buried his face into his hands and began to sob. He sat there like that for a few minutes. I realized he was saying something between sobs. He was praying. After a bit his phone rang. After a few rings he looked at it.

"Who is it?" KC asked.

"Mom," he said. He let it go one more ring before answering. "Hello?" He answered. In what felt like an instant, his whole demeanor changed. He straightened up and his eyes brightened. He smiled. "Yeah, we'll be right there!" He almost shouted into the phone. He hung up and put the phone back into his pocket.

"What's going on?" KC asked.

"Yeah, what did your mom say?" Andrew asked.

"He's awake," he said. "He's alive."

"What?" KC asked. She smiled happily. She hugged Farkle.

"Let's go," Farkle said, grabbing her hand pulling her towards the door with him. She went with him and they ran out the door.

**Farkle's POV**

We went straight to my dad's room when we got to the hospital. He was sitting upright in his bed, talking to mom.

"Dad," I said. I walked up to him and hugged him.

"Hey son," he said. "Hey KC."

"When did he wake up?" I asked mom.

"He started breathing on his own at about 2:48," she said. "And he woke up about 2:53." KC looked at me.

"I am so glad that you're okay, dad," KC said.

"Me too," he said.

"He's not completely fine," mom said.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"His legs are paralyzed," she said. "He'll have to be in a wheelchair."

"Anything is better than being dead and missing my son's wedding," dad said. I hugged him again. I started crying.

"I was so terrified I was going to lose you," I said. "I've been praying nonstop. I love you so much!"

"I love you too," he said. "I'm told I wasn't supposed to survive. Maybe there is a God watching over us." KC and I hugged him. We sat there talking for the rest of the night.

**Riley's POV**

Ava has been sleeping in my room. She told me tonight how grateful she is for Auggie. He really cares. She said she's happy that she can rely on us. She said after her dad left, her mom poured herself into work and goes on a lot of business trips. She said Auggie is her safe space. She fell asleep while talking about that.


	23. Chapter 23:Girl Meets Outcome

_**[April 20**__**th**__**, 2020]**_

**Maya's POV**

It's a month until Josh's graduation; a month, a week, and 3 days until Farkle and KC's wedding; and 2 months & six days until our graduation.

"Thanks for giving me a ride," I told Josh as I got out of his car.

"Welcome," he said. "See you this afternoon."

"See you," I said. I'm glad he has just morning classes.

I walked into school and was immediately greeted by KC.

"Hey Maya," she said.

"Hey," I said.

"Has anyone told you if Mr. Matthews has been reinstated?" She asked.

"Nope," I said.

"I hope they made the right decision."

"Me too," I said.

We walked into Mr. Matthews' classroom. He was standing at the board writing something.

"Matthews!" I shouted. "You're back!" KC smiled.

"We're glad you're back, sir," KC said. "We like Mr. Feeny, but even _he_ can't teach us like you."

"Thanks KC," he said. I saw what he wrote on the board. _Outcome_. We all sat down. Everyone was there.

"We're all sorry our parents overreacted the way they did," Darby said. "Here's the homework you assigned us the other day." She and the rest of the students handed in their papers, including me.

"Thank you," he said. "This is what all good teachers strive for, to have students that they actually impact, to have student that want to learn."

"We definitely do," Sarah said.

"Outcome. What is it?" Matthews asked.

"It's the way something turns out," Farkle said. "Like how my dad had a pretty good outcome."

"What happened to your dad?" Darby asked.

"He had a brain aneurysm that ruptured, which caused a stroke, which caused him to fall into a coma," Farkle said. "He woke up last Sunday, the 12th. His legs are paralyzed but he's here."

"Oh wow," Darby said.

"I understand Mr. Feeny taught you about Alexander Hamilton," Cory said. "The duel he was in didn't have a good outcome for him, did it?"

"No, he got shot and died the next day," KC said.

"What has an outcome?" Mr. Matthews asked.

"Every decision you make," I said.

"Not just decisions, Maya," Mr. Matthews said.

"What do you mean?" Riley asked.

**Riley's POV**

"Feelings and actions, not caused by decisions, also have an outcome or consequence," Dad said. "Tripping could result in a fall which could result in breaking a bone or bruising."

"Everything has an outcome," Lucas said.

"Pretty much, yes," Dad said.

"How do feelings have an outcome?"

"Well if you feel anger, it could result in you shutting down or acting out, such as starting a fight or yelling," he looked at both me and Maya. "Feelings have a way of bringing out positive or negative things in you."

"What if you don't know what your feelings are?" I asked.

"What do you mean, Riley?" Dad asked.

"What if you don't know what you feel?" I asked.

"Then you should try to figure it out," he said. "Knowing your feelings is essential. When you know your feelings it can make things a lot easier."

"Like what?"

"Okay, let me give an example," dad said. "When your mom and I were engaged and were trying figure out when and where to hold the venue, Topanga's parents came to talk about the wedding. They ended up telling us they were getting divorced. Topanga ended up saying she didn't believe in love anymore and that she no longer wanted to get married."

"How did you fix it?"

"I didn't," dad said. "Her mom helped her realize that what happened with her parents had nothing to do with her and I and that she shouldn't see it that way. Sometimes it takes someone you love that cares about you to help you realize these types of things."

"Good to know," I said.

"Are you okay, Riley?" Dad asked.

"Yeah," I lied. He did his worried glare. The bell rang.

**Cory's POV**

Riley walked out of the classroom. I stopped Maya before she walked out.

"Hey, can I talk to you for a sec?" I asked her.

"Sure," she said.

"I know you two aren't as close as you used to be, but do you know what's up with Riley?" I asked.

"Nope," I said.

"Could you try to figure it out?"

"Yeah," I said.

After lunch, I went to go to the bathroom. Josh was there about to take his cleaning supplies in there. He saw me coming.

"Right on time," he laughed. "Go ahead, it can wait a couple minutes."

"Thank Josh, you're a life saver," I said.

"Like superman, Ms. Lane?" He joked, tilting his head. I laughed. I ran into the bathroom. When I came out of the bathroom, he raised his eyebrows. "You never answered."

"Yes, like superman," I joked and hurried to class. I wish I could kiss him, but he's not allowed to here.

**Riley's POV**

"Hey Katy," I said when I walked into work. I looked at the request bucket. I dropped one in there last week, so they should be performing it today.

"Hey Riley," she said. "You're off tomorrow, I'll be training a new guy."

"Okay," I said. _Do we really need someone new?_ I thought.

"Can you help Andrew tidy up in the back?"

"Sure," I said. I went to the back. I started helping Andrew.

"Hey," he said.

"Hi," I said.

"I'm sorry I snapped at you the other day," he said.

"I don't know how I feel," I admitted.

"About me?"

"About you, about anything," I said. "It just all became a blur, I don't even know when it started."

"I still like you," he said. "I know you're not that kind of girl, that kind of person."

"Thanks," I said. We finished tidying up and went to the front.

"Will you promise me something?" He asked.

"Depends on what it is," I said.

"Promise me that once you figure out how you feel, you'll let me know," he said. "No matter what it is."

"I promise," I said.

KC started playing my request. I went to a table to take an order. Farkle started song.

_**When did I become so numb?/ When did I lose myself?/ All the words that leave my tongue/Feel like they came from someone else**_

**I'm paralyzed/ Where are my feelings?/ I no longer feel things/ I know I should/ I'm paralyzed/ Where is the real me?/ I'm lost and it kills me inside/ I'm paralyzed**

_**When did I become so cold?/ When did I become ashamed?/ **_**Where's the person that I know?/ They must have left/ They must have left/ With all my faith**

**I'm paralyzed/ Where are my feelings?/ I no longer feel things/ I know I should/ I'm paralyzed/ Where is the real me?/ I'm lost and it kills me inside/ I'm paralyzed**

I was sitting in my room, alone trying to think of how I feel. It's 10 at night. I heard a knock at my window. It was Maya. I opened the window.

"Are you okay, Honey?" She asked. She used to used that as my nickname when we were best friends. _It feels different this time_, I thought.

" No," I admitted. "I don't know how I feel."

"About what?"

"A lot of things," I said.

"KC said she thinks the request they played today was yours," she said.

"I don't know what I feel about him, what I _was_ feeling about him," I said. _Why did I just say that?!_ I shouted at myself in my head.

"About who?"

"Never mind," I said.

"Riles," she said.

"Can I trust you?"

"Yes, you can," she said. "I made a stupid decision before. I promise you can trust me."

"You can't tell anyone," I said. "_Especially_ not Josh."

"Okay," she said. "I promise, Ring Power." She held up her hand with her ring.

"You still have yours?" I asked.

"Yes," she said. "Figured it could be my aunt ring, well pre-aunt ring for now."

"I slept with Andrew," I said.

"Oh, Riles," she said.

"He really likes me," I said. "But I don't know how I feel."

"When was this?"

"April 3rd," I said. "I was jealous and I needed to clear my head."

"Riles, that's not a way—"

"That's not what I mean," I told her. "I was about to walk to the subway when he asked if I wanted a ride. I asked if we could go somewhere else and hang out, and he suggested his apartment. We talked for a while and he started showing me his sketches. In the middle of him talking about it, I kissed him. I kissed him again, We kept kissing and it accelerated from there."

"Wait, April 3rd," she said. "You were jealous of Taylor?"

"No," I said.

"Then who were jealous of?"

"Both of them," I said realizing it at that moment. "Lucas _and_ Taylor, you and Josh, Farkle and KC. You all have someone, and I'm alone."

"Okay," she said. "We figured out something. Tell me everything you like about Andrew."

"What?" I asked. "Why?"

"You wanna know what you feel?" She asked. I nodded. "Then start with this."

"Okay," I said. I didn't even need to think. "Well, I like that if we show up at the same time to work he makes sure he opens the door for me. It's funny because if he gets there slightly after me, he runs to get the door."

"Really?" She asked.

"Yeah, and then he takes the tables that make me uncomfortable," I said. "Somehow he can tell. He makes laugh whenever he can. Then his smile. Oh, he always has a beautiful smile when he's happy. He had that smile when he was telling me about his sketches. He was so happy and I couldn't help but kiss him—"

_Wait_, I thought. _Did I just say that?_

"I kissed him because he was so happy and that made me happy," I said. "I wanted to feel something other than jealously. How did I not realize that I was?"

"So what are you saying?" Maya asked. "What are you feeling?"

"I like Andrew," I said. " I like Andrew!" I got so happy.

"Are you going to tell him?"

"Yes," I said. "I promised him I would."

"I better get home," she said, starting to head out the window.

"Thanks Maya," I said.

"No problem, Riles," she said. She left. I went to bed smiling.


	24. Chapter 24: Girl Meets Tell Him

_**[April 21**__**st**__**, 2020]**_

**Maya's POV**

I had stayed over at KC's. I got up off the couch, and KC was making breakfast. It was 6:30.

"How'd your talk with Riley go last night?"

"Good," I said. "She was able to figure stuff out. I can't tell you what it was about because I promised, but she was able to figure out some feelings."

"How are you two?"

"I think we know our relationship now," I said. "We have kind of an aunt-niece thing now."

"You're not her aunt yet," KC pointed out.

"_Yet_," I said pointing at her.

"Mhmm," she said raising her eyebrows. "What does that mean?"

"Shush," I said. She smiled, amused.

"I think everyone's been in that position before," KC said. "Feeling paralyzed, Not knowing your feelings, feeling lost."

"Yeah," I said.

**Riley's POV**

I walked into school and was met by Maya.

"So have you told him yet?" she asked.

"Maya, it's 8 in the morning, no I haven't told him yet."

"Okay," she said. "Should we get to your dad's class?"

"Duh," I said.

We walked into the classroom. Dad still had _Outcome _written on the board. We sat down. Everyone else was already there.

"Good morning everyone," dad said.

"Are we still talking about outcome today?" Lucas asked.

"Yeah, we are," he said. "We have an engaged couple in this class. What outcomes can a marriage, or even just a relationship, have?"

"Breaking up or staying together, possibly ending in marriage, for a boyfriend/girlfriend relationship," Farkle said. "And divorce or death do we part, for marriage."

"What's the difference between marriage and a boyfriend/girlfriend relationship?"

"Technically, a piece of paper," Smackle said.

"Marriage is meant to be the ultimate commitment," KC said. "Committing to the one you love in front of your loved ones, in front of God."

"Interesting you said 'meant to be', KC," dad said.

"Well, a lot of people see it as Isadora said, as a disposable piece of paper," KC said. "Just something they can get out of if it's not exactly what they pictured. But no marriage is perfect. No marriage will ever be exactly how you thought it would go."

"So you're saying everyone has unrealistic expectations when it comes to marriage?" Smackle asked.

"Pretty much," KC said. "Mr. Matthews, how does your marriage differ from what you expected?"

"Well, I expected it to be perfect," he said. "I thought we would be the perfect married couple. We fought a lot, but we worked it out. When we got into our apartment at the college we went to, we fought about the troubles there. _The water was brown_. I tried to get my parents' help, but my dad told us that we were warned about how hard it was going to be and that we needed to deal with it on our own. I thought my parents would just cosign for a house we wanted, but they wouldn't. I was tricked into believing I could afford it, the trick being if we couldn't get the money they would take my parents' house. Well, we ended up accepting that we were going to have to stay at that apartment and we had to deal with it. I worked on the pipes and got all kinds of muddy water on me. One of our neighbors, Kelly, knocked on our door holding her crying baby. She told us that she hadn't slept in weeks because the baby wouldn't stop crying. Topanga offered to babysit while Kelly took a nap. She accepted. Topanga asked me how the pipes were coming, and I said I didn't know what good could come out of the apartment. And you know what happened?"

"What happened?" Farkle asked.

"I turned on the faucet, and the water ran clear," dad said, smiling.

"And the baby stopped crying and finally slept, right?" KC asked.

"Yeah," dad said. "How'd you know?"

"Aaron was the same way when he was a newborn," KC said. "Sometimes it takes someone else holding them to help them calm down enough to sleep. With Aaron, it was Lucas."

"Well, I'm glad you had him around at that point. I went to shove it in my parents' face that I fixed the pipe and about our plan to build a bookshelf without them," dad said. "They said that was the point. The bond that they had making it on their own is what made their marriage a success. They didn't want to take that away from us."

"So the outcome was good," Farkle said. "Because it made your marriage stronger."

"Exactly," dad said.

"Society has a bad perception of marriage and love," Farkle said.

"How so, Farkle?"

"A lot of people these days believe that you won't have a successful marriage unless you date for a year or so and give young engaged couples a bad rap, saying we can't know what love is," Farkle said. "You can know you're in love with someone sooner than a year and know you want to spend the rest of your life with that person, love has nothing to do with time or age."

"The Jonas Brothers' parents didn't even date," Maya said. "They were just really great friends at the same college and they knew at Christmas that they wanted to spend the rest of their lives together and he proposed after Christmas vacation. They've been married for 34 years."

"I read about a couple that decided to get married after ninety minutes of meeting," I said. "They moved in together after three months and got married the following year. They've been married happily for over 20 years."

"Another couple got engaged after 3 days and married 4 days after that," Darby said. "And they've been married for over 20 years too."

"I guess that shows that when you know, you know," Maya said. "I mean both of those sound crazy, but you know, they obviously knew it if they're still together now."

After school, I went by _Topanga's_ and saw that Andrew wasn't there, so I went over to his apartment using the Subway. I knocked on the door. After a bit, he answered.

"Hey," he said.

"Can we talk?" I asked.

"Yeah," he said, opening the door more so I could go in. "Shouldn't you be at work?"

"I'm off today," I said. "Katy's training a new guy. Why are you off?"

"I'm going to my cousin's wedding today, and I had to get a present and get homework done," he said.

"Oh, okay," I said.

"So what do you want to talk about?"

"You told me to tell you when I figured out my feelings," I said. His demeanor changed. He stood more up straight and directed his attention to me.

"So you know how you feel now?"

"Yeah, I do," I said. "I like you— _a lot_. That's why I kissed you. Your smile," he smiled, "See, right there! Your smile just makes me happier. You always go out of your way to do things, like opening the door and taking the tables that make me uncomfortable. You make me laugh. I wanted to feel your happiness. I love that you like drawing and that you didn't even question me when I said I needed to clear my head. You just understood. I'm sorry I didn't realize it before, but I really like you, and I hope you still like me too."

"You noticed all that?"

"Yeah," I said.

"Of course I still like you," he said. "I just want you to be sure, I don't want to have pressured you."

"I know how I feel now," I said. "Will you get a smoothie with me?"

"As a date?" He asked.

"Yes," I said. "Our first."

"I'd love to," he said. He opened the door. "After you." I walked out of the apartment. We went to _Topanga's_ and ordered smoothies. We sat down.

"So when's your cousins wedding?"

"At five," he said.

"Nice," I said. "So what is your master's degree going to be in?"

"Culinary Arts. You'd know that if you had stayed that morning," he joked. "I make a killer omelet."

"Oh really?" I asked.

"Yeah," he said. "I love cooking. Drawing is just a hobby, but cooking is my passion."

"I like cooking, but I'm not the best at it."

"What are you going to be going for in college?"

"A teaching degree," I said. "I want to be an elementary teacher."

"Oh so teaching kids?"

"Yeah," I said. "I don't think I'd be able to handle high schoolers." We laughed.

"So my cousin is getting married to a really nice girl that he met in college," he said. "I'm really happy for them."

"That's really nice," I said. "We sort of met at college," I joked. He started laughing.

"True," he said. "At that college party. Wow that was so long ago."

"Yeah, it was," I said. "So what are you wanting to do with your degree?"

"I'm actually starting to work as a cook in a restaurant starting next week," he said. "That's actually why Katy's training this new guy. This week is my last week here."

"That's disappointing," I said. "Not that you got that job, I'm happy for you, just that I won't be working with you anymore."

"Yeah, that was the only downside of it," he said. "But what I want to do someday is open my own restaurant."

"That would be awesome," I said.

"Yeah, it would." He smiled. He put his hand on top of mine. I smiled this time. I turned my hand around and held his.

"Are you ready to graduate?" I asked.

"Yeah, I am," he said. "I may be able to get up to head cook at that restaurant with my degree."

"That would be cool," I said. "Thanks for getting a smoothie with me."

"My pleasure," he said. "Thanks for asking me."

"My pleasure," I said. We sat there, drinking our smoothies that we had forgotten about while talking.

"Hey Riley?"

"Yeah?" I went to take another drink.

"Would you accompany me to my cousin's wedding?" He asked. I almost choked on my drink and started coughing. "Are you okay, Riley? I'm so sorry! I should have waited until you weren't drinking your smoothie."

"No, it's fine," I said. "It just caught me off guard. I'd love to."

"Really?" he asked.

"Yeah," I said. "Sounds really fun."

He took me home around 3:30 and said he'd pick me up at 4:45. I immediately started to look for what to wear. My mom came into my room.

"So where is Andrew taking you for your date?" She asked.

"You know about that?" I asked.

"Yeah, Andrew asked your dad if he could take you out," she said.

"And he said yes?"

"Let's just say, I put a good word in," mom said. "So where are you two going?"

"His cousin's wedding," I said.

"Wow that's really romantic," she said. "Especially for a first date."

"Technically, this is our second date," I said. "We did a smoothie date earlier."

"Oh, I see," she said. "Trying to figure out what to wear?"

"Yeah," I said. "I don't know what would work for a wedding."

"What about…this?" She asked, pulling out a nice light-purple dress that I had forgotten about.

"It's perfect!" I said.

Andrew was right on time. 4:45. He drove to the wedding which was in a park.

"Hey Andy," a young boy asked. _Andy?_ I thought. "Is this your _girlfriend_?"

"Uh," Andrew said. He looked down at me, not sure what to say. I smiled and shrugged. He smiled warmly. "Yeah, this is my girlfriend, Riley. Riley, this is my brother, David. He's the _only _one that calls me Andy."

"Aren't you Auggie's sister?" David asked.

"Yeah, I am," I said.

"Cool, he's in my class," he said.

"We should probably take our seats," Andrew said. We sat down in a couple of end seats. I noticed his brother sat a couple seats from us, I guessed that we must be sitting by his family.

"Who's this with you, Andrew?" A woman sitting next him asked.

"This is Riley," he said.

"His _girlfriend_," David said.

"Riley, this is my mom," Andrew said.

"Nice to meet you," I said.

"You too," she said.

The music started playing and we all looked back.

"Wow, she looks so beautiful," I said.

"Yeah, I'm so happy Anthony found her," Andrew said. "She's perfect for him."

We watched her walk down the aisle. When Anthony and his bride were joined, I realized Andrew was holding my hand.

When the minister said "Speak now or forever hold your peace," a woman shot up.

"I object!" She yelled.

"Oh my _Goodness_," Andrew said, putting his face in his palm.

"Who is she?" I asked in a whisper.

"My ex," he said.

"Miranda, what are you doing?" The bride asked.

"Jessie, he doesn't deserve you," she said. "He's probably just as untrusting as his cousin."

"You cheated on him, of course he didn't trust you," Anthony said. "I told you we shouldn't have invited her," he said to Jessie.

"Now he's here with some sleazy waitress," Miranda said. Andrew immediately stood up.

"Don't you dare talk about her that way," he said. "She an amazing girl, and she treats me better than you ever did." She scoffed. He sat back down.

"Thanks," I said.

"Any time," he said.

"Go home, Miranda," Jessie said.

"Fine," she said, storming off. After she left, everyone clapped, which was kind of funny.

"Anyone else?" The minister asked. "No? Alright then, let us continue."

We watched as they exchanged their vows.

"Now, Anthony, do you take Jessica to be your wife? To love, honor, cherish, and protect her, forsaking all others, 'til death do you part?"

"I do," Anthony said.

"And Jessica, do you take Anthony to be your husband? To love, honor, cherish, and protect him, forsaking all others, 'til death do you part?"

"I do," Jessica said.

They exchanged the rings.

"And now, by the power invested in me by the Methodist Church of New York City, it is my great honor and delight to declare you married. You may kiss the bride." Anthony kissed Jessica.

We went to the reception and he drove me home. He walked with me to my door.

"So we're girlfriend and boyfriend now?" I asked.

"Do you want to be?" He asked.

"Yeah, I do," I said.

"Me too," he said.

"We've been on two dates, so why not?" I joked.

"Haha yeah," he said. His smile is so contagious. He looked in my eyes. We both leaned in and kissed.

"See you tomorrow," I said.

"See you tomorrow, Riley," he said.

**Andrew's POV**

Riley went inside. I stood there for a second with a smile on my face, then left.

_**Author's Note:**__ Hey, so a guest reviewer seemed to have not gotten the lesson I was trying to show in the last chapter. What I was trying to show is that sometimes the most important people in your life can help you realize things you hadn't before. My sister has helped me realize that I had had crush on different people (at different times) but I hadn't realized it until that point. Riley does like Andrew. She was jealous of Taylor and Lucas collectively, not just Taylor, as well as the other couples. She wouldn't kiss a random person because she liked their smile. She kissed __**him**__ because she has known him for a while and likes him and loves __**his**__ smile and loves to see __**him**__ happy. Also the only self-destructive behavior she showed (which was before she realized she likes Andrew) was not knowing her feelings (subconscious) and maybe the jealousy of the couples. I hope that cleared up the confusion. _

_**The examples I gave about marriage were ones I had read about. They sound crazy, right? But if you know, you know. It worked out, so if it's crazy, maybe crazy can have a good outcome, haha. It honestly really depends on the couple, I guess.**_

_**My parents got engaged like a few months after they started dating and have been happily married for 24 years. **_


	25. Chapter 25: Girl Meets Her Protector

_**[April 27**__**th**__**, 2020]**_

**Maya's POV**

I was on my way, with KC, to school. Aaron had slept at Farkle and Josh's place last night, so Farkle will be taking him to the daycare.

"So, I know it's just a little over a month 'til the wedding, but just so you know, this isn't last minute. Farkle and I have discussed who we wanted by our side up at the altar," she said. "Will you be my maid of honor?"

"Don't take this the wrong way, but no," I said.

"Wait, what?" She said. "Why not?"

"We both know who should be up there with you," I said. "And it's not me."

"Maya," she said.

"I'm just your sister, Marley is your best friend."

"Hey," she said. "Never _ever_ say you're _just_ my sister."

"You know I'm right, though," I said.

"And _you_ know I can have my whole bridal party up there with me, right?"

"You really want to have like five girls up there with you?"

"Exaggeration much?" She asked.

"How many bride's maids?" I asked.

"Three," she admitted. "Well, if they all say yes."

"I was close, four girls up there with you," I said. "But I'm serious, Marley should be your maid of honor. I'll still be one of your bride's maids if you want."

"You're right," she said. "And if you're not my maid of honor, then I definitely want you to be a bride's maid."

"Okay," I said. "Maid of honor would be too much work anyways," I joked. We both laughed. "So who are the other two?"

"Riley and Ava," she said. "Well, actually I was think of asking Topanga to be a bride's matron. So I guess you were right about five."

"What's a bride's matron?" I asked.

"A bride's maid, but married," she said.

"Oh, okay," I said.

"So who is Fark going to ask to be his best man?" I asked. "Lucas or Josh?"

"Well, Josh and him _have_ gotten pretty close, but Lucas is his best friend," she said.

"So Huckleberry?" I asked.

"Yes," she said. "He's going to ask Josh, Auggie, and Mr. Matthews to be groomsmen."

"Nice," I said.

**Riley's POV**

Andrew drove me to school.

"See you this afternoon," he said. "I love you."

I smiled. "I love you too," I said. This was the first time we said it. I got out of his truck and went inside. I walked directly to my dad's classroom. He and Farkle were hugging.

"Riley, guess what!" Dad said happily. They broke the hug.

"What?"

"Farkle asked me to be a groomsman!" He said. "I am so touched!" He put his hand on his heart. KC and Maya walked in.

"Hey," KC said.

"Hey," dad said smiling like a goofball.

"So I take it you asked him, Babe?" KC asked.

"Yep," Farkle answered.

We all sat down. Everyone else came in shortly after.

"So what do you have for us today, Matthews?" Maya asked. I looked on the board, it had _Fahrenheit 451 _written on it.

"What burns at 451 degrees Fahrenheit?" He asked.

"Books," KC said.

"How many of you have read _Fahrenheit 451 _by Ray Bradbury?"

KC, Lucas, Farkle, Maya, and I raised out hands.

"How many of you read at least part of a book daily?" Dad asked. "Not including textbooks."

KC and Farkle raised their hands.

"Part of a book once a week?" Dad asked. "If you've already answered, don't raise your hand again."

I raised my hand.

"Once a month?"

Maya raised her hand.

"Every other month?"

Nobody raised their hands.

"Now, that's a shame," he said. "Why don't you read books?"

"I just don't like reading," Darby said. Others agreed.

"Oh really?" Dad asked. "Then answer me this. Do you any of you read Fanfiction?"

Everyone went silent.

"Do any of you read stories that you see on Facebook? Articles you see online?" He asked. "Raise your hand if any of these sound familiar." Everybody raised their hands. "So you not reading books has nothing to do with not liking to read does it, Darby?"

"I guess not," she said. "But a lot of books are boring."

"Are they?" He asked. "KC, can you tell me what book you've been reading?"

"Well, the Bible, and a book called _The Boy In The Striped Pajamas_," she answered. "I just finished it last night."

"What is that book about?" He asked. "_The Stiped Pajamas_ one."

"It's about how the son of a Nazi befriended a Jewish boy in a concentration camp," she said. "He went into the concentration camp, not realizing what it was for, so he could play with the other boy. He dressed up in the striped outfit they were forced to wear."

"That why it's called _The Boy In The Striped Pajamas_?" Sarah asked.

"Yeah," KC said.

"I want you all to read _Fahrenheit 451_," he said. "And I will need to confiscate your phones until you are either done with the book or get a good understanding of it."

"What does this have to do with history?" Sarah asked.

"He's not just a history teacher, Sarah, he's a social studies teacher," KC said.

"To answer your question, Sarah," dad said. "This book was written in 1953. It shows the fears Ray Bradbury had back then for the future."

"Okay," Sarah said.

We all put our phones in the basket and dad handed out the book to all of us.

After school I went to work. After a bit, Andrew came in.

"Hey Babe," he said.

"Hey," I said.

"Want to go on a double date tonight with Josh and Maya?" He asked.

"Sure," I said.

"Okay," he said with a smile. "We'll pick you up around 8. That's still the closing time, right?" 

"Yeah," I said. "I'll be closing up, so I'll meet you outside."

"You sure?"

"Yeah," I said.

"Okay, see you tonight," he said. He kissed my cheek and left.

"Hey Riley," KC said.

"Yeah?"

"I meant to ask you before your dad's class, but I got there too late," she said. "Will you be one of my bride's maids at my wedding?"

"Yeah, I'd love too," I said.

"Yes!" She said happily.

"Wow, that made you happy," I said.

"Well, now I only have two more people to ask," she said.

"Who would that be?"

"Your mom and Ava," she said.

"You already asked Marley to be your maid of honor?"

"Yeah," she said.

**Maya's POV**

Josh and I were hanging out at his apartment. I didn't have to work today.

"So where are we going for this double date?" I asked him.

"I don't know yet," he said. "I'm still really weirded out that my best friend is dating my niece."

"I'm dating you," I said. "Yeah, we're not best friends anymore, but still."

"True," he said. "They really seem happy."

"Yeah, they do," I said. "What about dinner and a movie?"

"Maybe," he said. "What about dancing?"

"Maybe," I said. "But Riley isn't that good at dancing."

"Not at _interpretive_ dancing," he pointed out.

"True."

"Andrew's a great dancer," he said. "I'm sure he's taught her some moves."

"So which one do you think they'd want to do?"

"I don't know," he said. "Let's text both of them and see."

"I can't," I said. "We don't have our phones, remember? You even told Andrew about it."

"Oh yeah," he said. "Well, I'll text Andrew and ask him, then we'll clarify with Riley when we pick her up."

"Okay," I said.

"So Andrew said dancing," he said. "So I guess we're going dancing if Riley agrees."

"Okay," I said.

**Riley's POV**

It was a little after closing time and Katy, KC, Austin (the new waiter), and Farkle already left. I heard the bell of the door.

"I said I'd meet you outside, Andrew," I laughed. I turned around and stopped laughing. "We're closed," I said. I had already turned off the lights, so I couldn't see who it was, but I could tell it wasn't Andrew.

"I came to see you, Riley," the person said. I recognized the voice, it's Charlie.

"Whatever it is can wait until tomorrow," I said. "We are closed, and I have to leave."

He took a step forward. A chill ran down my spine.

"I came to see you," he said more aggressively.

"I don't want to talk to you right now," I said. "I have to go, so please leave." He started walking towards me. I started backing up. "Please Charlie, stay away from me."

"_Now_ you want me to stay away from you?" He asked. "What about when I was there when you had that fight with that stupid cowboy?"

"That was a mistake," I said. He was right in front of me now. I've never seen so much anger in someone's eyes before. I tried backing up more, but I had backed myself into a wall. He grabbed my wrists and slammed them against the wall and held them there. Then he pressed his whole weight against me. I could feel his heavy, warm, breathing on my face.

"You're going to regret you said that," he said. I was too scared to scream, I was paralyzed.

**Maya's POV**

"It's 8:10," Andrew said. "She should have been out by now. Something's wrong."

"Maya stay here," Josh said. "I don't want you to get hurt." I saw Josh left his phone.

**Riley's POV**

His hands were tightly wrapped around my neck. I was gasping for the little air I could collect.

"You know what?" He asked. "Maybe death isn't enough." He loosened his grasp on my neck. "Maybe I should take away any chance of you ever getting what you've always wanted." His eyes traveled down to my abdomen. He took out a switch blade. My eyes went wide. Suddenly, I heard a loud crack and Charlie went down. I saw Andrew and Josh. Andrew dropped the chair legs he was holding and wrapped me in a hug. I started crying.

"I love you. I love you. You're okay," Andrew told me. "I've got you. I love you." Josh ran his hands through his hair. He kept looking at me worriedly and at Charlie angrily.

Cops came in through the front door.

"We got a call about an attack," one of the officers said. "Anyone want to tell me what happened here?"

"This guy attacked my girlfriend," Andrew said, motioning to Charlie on the floor. He was coming to.

"Is that true ma'am?" The officer asked me.

"Yes," I hoarsely said. He saw my neck and wrists.

"I want you to go out to the paramedics and get checked out and go to the hospital if necessary."

"Yessir," I said. My throat hurt really bad.

**Josh's POV**

"How'd he get on the floor?" Another officer asked.

"I hit him with a chair to get him away from her," Andrew admitted.

"Did either of you see the start of the attack?"

"No," Andrew and I said.

"But my sister-in-law, her mom, owns this place," I said. "She has security cameras all around the restaurant."

"Alright, we'll have to take a look at those," he said. "Can you get her on the phone, please?"

"Yes," I said. I realized I left my phone in the car, so I borrowed Andrew's.

**Maya's POV**

I finished talking to the officer and went over to be with Riley. They put a neck brace on her and they told her she had to go to the hospital. I looked over and saw one of the officers hauling Charlie off to a different ambulance, in handcuffs. Andrew came over to us and asked if he could ride with her. They reluctantly agreed. I watched as they left. Josh came up behind me and put his hand on my shoulder.

"You ready to go?" He asked.

"Yeah," I said. "Here's your phone." He put his phone into his pocket. We got into his truck and started our drive to the hospital.


	26. Chapter 26: Girl Meets Type O

_**[May 6, 2020]**_

**Maya's POV**

We were in Mr. Matthews' class. He gave us our phones back after what happened to Riley.

"So I think you all will be happy to know that I was able to set up the senior trip," Matthews said. "We will be leaving from here at 6 am on May 14th. Make sure you have everything ready."

"When will we be coming back?" I asked.

"We will be back here on the 19th," he answered. "Don't worry, we'll be back in time for the NYU graduation."

"Good," I said.

"Does anyone know when prom is?" Darby asked.

"It's on the 12th," Marley said. "It's on the school website."

"How is all of your reading of _Fahrenheit 451_ going?" Matthews asked.

"It's really interesting," Zay said.

"I like the rebel," I said. "Reading it again is great."

"Does she remind you of yourself?"

"No," I said. "It actually reminds me more of Riley, Farkle, or KC. They're the kind of people that would fight for something like that. I fought against education, not for it. I used to hate reading."

"What is the key things in what you just said?" He asked me.

"I don't know."

"_Fought _and _used to_," he said. "Both of those are in past tense. What about now? Would you fight for something like that now?"

"I guess so," I said.

After his class, we started walking to art class.

"So what are you going to wear for prom, Maya?" Riley asked.

"I'm not going to prom," I said.

"Why not?"

"Josh can't go with me, twenty is the maximum age," I said.

"Oh," she said. "I didn't know that. I can't go then, either."

"Wait, then Taylor can't go with me, either," Lucas said. "Well that sucks."

We went into Mr. Jackson's classroom.

**Riley's POV**

"Hey, Mr. Jackson," Lucas said. "Why can't our dates for prom be over twenty years old?"

"Well, 21 is the legal age to drink alcohol," he said. "I guess they may think that dates over 20 would bring alcohol and encourage underage drinking."

"Well, it's not very fair to students that are dating over-twenty year olds," I said.

"I know it's not," Mr. Jackson said. "In fact, I know from experience. My girlfriend, now my wife, was a high school senior and I was a college sophomore. We had been dating since high school. The rules then were no one over _nineteen_ years old. I had just turned 20. So I wasn't able to go to prom with her. You know what we did?"

"What did you do?" Maya asked.

"We had our own dance in her backyard," he said. "Just us and the radio."

"That's really sweet," I said.

"Yeah," he said. Darby and the others came in. "Now today, your assignment is 'starry night'. Paint whatever comes to your mind when you think of _starry night_."

**Ava's POV**

Auggie and I were in class. I looked over at him. I've noticed that his hands have gotten bigger, like they're swollen. He told me he's just gained some weight, but something tells me that's not what it is. Now he sounds like he can't breathe.

"Hey, are you feeling okay, Auggie?" I asked.

"Yeah," he said. "I'm just a little short of breath."

We continued working on our classwork.

**Farkle's POV**

After art class, we started walking to our next class.

"Hey Riley," I said, staying back to walk with her.

"Hey," she said.

"You okay?" I asked. "Josh told me what happened last week."

"Yeah," she said. "What Charlie did was scary, maybe even terrifying, but I'm not going to let it affect me."

"What exactly did he do?" I asked. "I'm not trying to push."

"It's fine, Farkle," she said. "He slammed my wrists into the wall and choked me. That wasn't even the worst part."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Let's just say he threatened to do a hysterectomy on me," she said. "Or something to destroy that part of me."

"Good thing Andrew stopped him," I said. "He really threatened to do that? That's the most monstrous thing I have ever heard of." I was disgusted.

"Yeah," I said. "He said he was going to take away any chance of me ever getting what I've always wanted. I have always wanted to be a mom someday." I looked over at her.

"You're going to be a great mom someday, Riley," I said.

"Thanks, Farkle," she said, giving me a side hug.

**Ava's POV**

I looked over and saw his nose bleeding.

"Auggie, your nose is bleeding!" He touched his nose and looked at his hand, seeing I was right. He put his hand over his nostrals.

"Ms. Williams!" I shouted. "Auggie's nose is bleeding!" She hurried over to us with tissues. She had Auggie hold one under his nose and to pinch the bridge. We had to give him more tissues. He looked flushed. I decided to feel his head. When I did I quickly pulled away.

What's wrong Ava?" Ms. Williams asked.

"He's really hot," I said. Some of my classmates laughed. "No I mean it! His head is really hot!"

She felt his head. Her eyes went wide. She felt his cheeks.

"August," she said. "Can you look me in the eyes?" He couldn't. "I'm going to call your mom." She went over to her room phone and dialed Topanga's number. The whole class looked worried now. She was telling Topanga what was going on when I noticed Auggie's hand starting to twitch. Before I knew it, Auggie's whole body was jerking. He fell out of his chair. Frankie put his rolled up jacket under Auggie's head. Ms. Williams called 911.

**Riley's POV**

We were in our last class before lunch, Science class. My dad burst into the classroom.

"May I help you?" Mr. Williams asked.

"I need to take my daughter out of class," dad said. "Family emergency." This was alarming. I got up and walked out of the classroom.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"It's Auggie," he said.

"What happened?"

"Ava noticed his breathing was off," he said. "Then his nose started bleeding and they realized he had a fever. And…," he said, running his hand down his face, "while Ms. Williams was on the phone with your mom, he started having a seizure."

"He had a seizure?" I asked, starting to freak out.

"Yes," he said. "Your mom said that the doctor told her if someone Auggie's age gets a high enough fever, they may have a seizure, which is what they believe caused it. They are doing more tests though."

**Maya's POV**

After school, KC, Farkle, Josh, and I went to the hospital to see what was up with Auggie. Riley had texted me that Auggie had a seizure. When we walked in, Andrew was sitting next to Riley, holding her.

"Hey how is he?" Josh asked, immediately hugging Topanga.

"They did more tests on him earlier," Topanga said. "You guys might want to sit down."

"Why?" I asked. We all sat down.

"Auggie has Lupus Nephritis," Topanga said.

"What's that?" Farkle asked.

"Inflammation in the kidneys," she said.

"Is he going to be okay?" Riley asked.

"His kidneys failed," Topanga said. "It was acute kidney failure. That's why his nose was bleeding, he was short of breath, and he had a fever."

"What are they going to do about it?" Josh asked.

"They started him on dialysis," she said, "which is basically a machine doing the kidneys' work. They doctor will be out soon to talk about options."

Like it was on cue, the doctor came out.

"Hello again, Mr. and Mrs. Matthews," he said. "I came to discuss options for August's treatment."

"They can all listen in," Topanga said.

"Alright," he said. "Now, there are two options we have. We can either keep him on dialysis, which means he will have to come three times every week."

"What's the other option?" Cory asked.

"We could perform a kidney transplant," the doctor said. "But there is one problem with this option."

I thought back to a talk Auggie and I had on one of our walks over a year ago:

"_What's your blood type?" He asked, weirding me out._

_ "Why?" I asked, concerned._

_ "Just wondering," he said._

_ "A+," I answered._

_ "Okay," he said._

_ "Now, why is the real reason you asked?"_

_ "I have O- blood," he said. "If I ever need an organ because Lupus messes up one of mine, you can't donate yours. People with O- blood can only receive organs from someone else that has O-."_

"August has an O- blood type, only someone with an O blood type can donate an organ to someone with an O blood type," the doctor said. "We could wait for a kidney, but that could take months or even years. These blood types are very rare."

Farkle stood up. "I have O- blood," he said. "I want to donate if I can."

KC's eyes went wide. "Farkle."

"Are you sure, son?" The doctor asked.

"I'm positive," he said. "I want to help him."

"Are you at least 18 years old?"

"Yes, I'm 18," he said.

"Farkle, don't you think we should talk about this first?" KC asked.

"What do I need to do to be able to donate my kidney to him?" Farkle asked the doctor. _Did he just ignore KC? His fiancée?_

"Well, we'll have to do a series of tests to make sure you're a match," the doctor said.

"Farkle," KC said.

"When do we need to start the tests?" Farkle asked.

"We can start right away, if you are able to right now," the doctor said.

"Yeah, that works," he said.

"_Farkle_," KC said sharply.

"What?" He asked, finally looking at her.

"Don't you think we should talk about this?" She asked him.

"What would we need to talk about?" He asked, confused. She looked at him with disbelief. She stood up angrily and walked out of the hospital. After a bit another doctor came out, distracting him from KC.

"This is Dr. Linkin," Auggie's doctor said. "He will be the head of your team. You and August will have separate teams."

"Hello Farkle," he said. "First off, I will ask you a series of questions, if you will follow me." He followed him to start the testing.

"Well, he's a dead man," Mr. Matthews said. Topanga hit his arm.

"Do not make jokes like that while we are at a hospital," she told him.

"Sorry Honey," he said. "He's definitely in the dog house. Is that better?"

"Very," Topanga said.

"Why would he be in the dog house?" Riley asked.

"Riley, KC is Farkle's fiancée," I said. "He didn't even think about consulting the woman he is going to marry before deciding something so _huge_."

"If I did that, Topanga would have given me the silent treatment for a year," Cory said.

"I appreciate that he wants to do this," Topanga said, "But he should have at least talked it over with his soon-to-be-wife before making this decision. This could be a life or death decision with not only Auggie, but also Farkle. There are always risks with any surgery. It's a serious thing to even consider doing."

"Should we tell him that?" Josh asked.

"No, we shouldn't," Topanga said. "He needs to realize on his own, or by talking with _KC_, that his decisions now not only affect him, but also KC and Aaron. They're going to be a family. And the doctors should fill him in with how serious this is, _especially_ with his diabetes."

"It is our decision too," Mr. Matthews said. "We could tell him we don't want him to do it."

"Yes, but he may be Auggie's only hope to get a kidney," Topanga said. "And I'd rather him get a new kidney than have to go for dialysis 3 times a week for the rest of his life."

"True," Mr. Matthews said.

"Where's Ava?" Riley asked.

"She's been sitting with Auggie for a while," Topanga said. "She hasn't left his side since they let her see him."

"They are so sweet together," Riley said. "They actually act like a married couple."

"Honestly," Topanga said. "You are completely right. They are there for each other for practically anything."

"I hope Auggie will be alright," Riley said.

"Me too," Topanga said.


	27. Chapter 27: Girl Meets Affect

_**[May 7**__**th**__**, 2020]**_

**Riley's POV**

I went to work after school. KC came in shortly after me.

"Where's Farkle?" She asked. "He wasn't at school past Mr. Matthews' class."

"He had to go back to the hospital today to finish the tests," I said. "You okay?"

"No, I'm not, Riley," she said. She started setting up the equipment. "Farkle doesn't seem to care what I think about this."

"I don't think that's what it is," Katy said. "He's a man, they don't always think clearly."

"_He_ usually does," she said.

"Why don't you talk to him?" Katy asked.

"I was going to after Mr. Matthews' class," she said. "But he left before I could."

She turned everything on and started playing a song. It was _Safe and Sound_ by the Civil Wars and Taylor Swift.

**Farkle's POV**

I left the hospital at about 10 pm. They told me I was a match. I drove directly to Kc's from there. I felt bad for not talking to her this morning, I just had to get back to the hospital. I knocked on her door. She took a couple of minutes to answer.

"Hey," I said.

"Hey," she said, not looking very happy.

"May I come in?" I asked. She moved over to let me in without saying a word. "They said I'm a match." She still didn't say a word. "Aren't you going to say anything?"

"Yeah, I am," she said. "Why didn't you talk to me before you made that decision?"

"The decision to donate my kidney to Auggie?" I asked. She nodded. "I didn't think I needed to."

"Well, you thought wrong," she said. "This won't just affect _you_."

"I know, it affects Auggie too," I said.

"Yes it affects you and Auggie," she said. "But it affects Aaron and I too."

"How?"

"Are you kidding me right now, Farkle?!" She asked raising her voice. "We're getting married in just over three weeks! Our decisions need to involve each other. Surgery is serious!"

"So you don't want me to do it?" I asked accusingly. "Where does that leave Auggie?!"

"I did not say that!" KC shouted back. "I just want you to talk to me! I don't want you just jumping into a something this serious!"

"This has nothing to do with you," I shouted. "Why are you making this about you?!"

"What if you don't make it off the table?! What if there's complications?!" She shouted. "What you do affects me too!"

"You're just overreacting," I shouted. "That's not going to happen. I don't need to talk to you about my decisions. I'm capable of making them on my own!"

"I'm not saying you're not," she shouted. "But we're supposed to be a team!"

"I'm getting the surgery," I shouted at her. "Teams are supposed to support each other."

"I would support you if you actually talked to me about it first," she shouted back. "Instead of just jumping into it without a thought! This is serious!"

"I know it's serious!" I shouted. "But you know what?! I don't care if I die if my kidney saves him!" Her eyes filled up with tears.

"I have lost a husband in the past, _remember_?" She said. "I'm _in love with you_. I am ready to _marry you_. But I am _not _ready to lose you. And if you don't care enough to talk to me about something like this before you make the decision to risk your life, then maybe you don't _love _me _or_ Aaron as much as I thought you did." She started crying into her hands.

_What did I just do? _I thought. _I do love them_.

"KC," I said.

"I hate you," she said.

"You don't mean that," I said, putting my hand on her cheek. She slapped it away.

"Get out," she said.

"KC—"

"GET OUT OF MY APARTMENT!" She screamed at me. I walked out the door and she slammed the door behind me. I couldn't bring myself to leave. I sat up against her door.

**KC's POV**

I locked the door and rubbed my forehead. I looked towards the bedrooms and saw Aaron standing there.

_How much did he hear of that? _I thought.

"Mommy is everything okay?" He asked.

"Yeah buddy," I said. "Let get you back to bed."

"Can you read me a story?" He asked.

"Sure sweetie," I said. "Which one?"

"Flip flop," he said. This meant flipping to a random part of the Bible and reading where it opens to.

"Okay," I said. I grabbed the Bible. I started reading on the page it opened on where my eyes landed on. _[Starting on __**John 15: 11**__] _"_**These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends**_**—**" I paused. "_**You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. These things I command you, that you love one another.**_" He was asleep. I closed the Bible. I got up and went to my bedroom and tried to sleep.

_**[The Next Morning]**_

**Riley's POV**

I woke up to Auggie sleeping next to me. I tried to get out of bed without waking him, but it didn't work.

"Morning Riley," he said softly.

"Morning Auggie," I said. "How are you feeling?"

"Better I guess," he said. "Do you know who the match is?"

"Yeah, I do, but I'm not supposed to tell you."

"I know, they said I'll find out today," he said. "I know it's not Maya, she's A+."

"You can sleep a little more if you want," I said.

"No," he said, tilting his head. "I'm hungry now."

"Okay," I laughed. We walked down to the kitchen together.

"Hey Riley?"

"Yeah?"

"I hate Lupus," he said.

"I know," I said. "I'm sorry you have to go through this."

Ava was asleep on the couch. We let her sleep.

**KC's POV**

I woke up at about 7. I left my room and turned on the light. I saw a shadow under the apartment door. I unlocked the door and opened it. Farkle, sleeping, fell back. His eyes slowly opened.

"What are you still doing here?" I asked, curiously.

"I couldn't bring myself to leave," he said.

"Come on," I said. "I'll make you breakfast." I extended my hand to him. He took it and I helped him up. We walked into the kitchen and I got out eggs and bacon. I started making the bacon. After the food was done, he, without me asking, woke Aaron up and brought him to the table. Aaron ate his food fast and asked to be excused.

"Yes, go get dressed for school," I said. He ran off to his room. "I'm sorry about what I said last night," I told Farkle. "I could never hate you."

"I know," he said. "I'm sorry for not talking to you before I decided it. It's just I guess my family never really sat down and talked about stuff like that. The only time they did was when it had to do with me."

"I'm sorry that I got so upset," I said.

"I understand that you're scared, I am too, but we need to trust that I'll be okay," he said. "I should have talked it through with you. You're right, it's serious. I guess when I heard O- I saw me donating as the fastest wat to help him, so I jumped at it."

"Auggie needs it," I said. "I want you to do it, but only if you are positive."

"I am," he said.

"When will it be?" I asked.

"We're going to figure that out today," he said. "Since I'm a living donor, we can set up a date that works for both Auggie and I."

"Can I go with you?" I asked. "I want to know what's going on."

"Sure," he said. He held my hand. "I love both you and Aaron. I don't want to leave either of you. We're going to be fine."

"You really stayed out there all night?"

"Yeah," he said.

**Riley's POV**

We were on our way to lunch when KC and Farkle came in to school, hand-in-hand.

"Hey," I said.

"Hey, are you two okay?" Maya asked them. "I heard you arguing last night."

"We worked it out this morning," KC said.

"Good," Maya said. "Because I've never heard you fight like that before."

"So when's the surgery?" I asked.

"June 8th," Farkle said.

"Gives us enough time for our wedding and honeymoon," KC said. "And it works for Auggie too."

"That's good," I said. We all walked to lunch together.


	28. Chapter 28: Girl Meets Parachute

_**[May 12**__**th**__**, 2020]**_

**Riley's POV**

"Who's ready for prom?" Dad asked near the end of class. Most people raised their hands.

"Some of us can't go," I said.

"Why would that be?" Dad asked.

"Some of our dates are over 20 years old," Maya said. "You should know that. One of them is your brother."

"I know," he said. "I didn't know that rule was still active."

"We've got a solution for you guys not being able to go to prom," KC said quietly.

"Meet us after class," Farkle said quietly, looking at Maya, Lucas, and I.

"For some people, this night could be life changing," Dad said, glancing at me. "And sometimes it's just another night." I looked at Farkle and KC curiously. "Also you all are excused from my class tomorrow."

After class we met them in the hall.

"So what's this solution?" Maya asked.

"Meet us at Topanga's tonight at seven," Farkle said.

"Wear what you were planning to wear to prom," KC said.

"Josh and Andrew already know about it," Farkle said. "You'll have to tell Taylor, Lucas."

"What are you two up to?" Lucas asked.

"You'll see," Farkle said.

We walked to art class.

**Maya's POV**

Riley and I decided to get ready together. She had invited KC over, but she said that she couldn't.

**Auggie's POV**

"Where's Riley and Maya going?" I asked my mom.

"They're going to prom," she said.

"But I thought she couldn't go," I said.

"She couldn't go to the _school's_ prom," mom said. "But KC and Farkle planned a replacement one for all of the one's that couldn't go to that one."

"Oh," I said.

"Don't mention it to them," she said. Maya came down the stairs.

"We'll pick you up around 7," she said to Riley who was still upstairs. She walked out the door.

**Riley's POV**

Andrew came over around 6:30 to have dinner with my family.

"Good evening, Topanga," Andrew said.

"Good evening, Andrew," mom said. Dad came into the living room.

"Good evening Mr. Matthews," Andrew said.

"Am I not good enough to be called Cory?" Dad asked offended.

"Sorry, Cory," Andrew said. "I thought you preferred to be called Mr. Matthews."

"Only by my students," he said. Auggie came back from the bathroom.

"Hey Andy," he said.

"Hey Auggie," Andrew said. "Where's Ava? I thought she was staying here." We all sat down to eat.

"She was, but now she's back with her mom," Auggie said. "They are doing visits with them."

"I hope it improves," he said.

"Me too," Auggie said. We started eating.

"Are you ready to graduate, Andrew?" Dad asked.

"Yes, I am," he said. "I can't believe it's so close."

"How's your new job going?" Mom asked.

"Great," he said. "I'm close to becoming one of the main cooks."

"That's great," she said.

"Yeah," I said. "He's a great cook. He was complimented by his boss the other day."

"Really?" Mom asked.

"Yeah," Andrew answered. "He said he could see me opening my own restaurant someday."

"Wow that must have made you happy," dad said.

"It did," he said. His phone buzzed and he looked at it. "Josh and Maya are here to pick us up. Thank you for the meal, Topanga. I'll let you know how everything goes." The last thing he said seemed weird to me but I brushed it off.

**Maya's POV**

We got to _Topanga's_, and Andrew and Josh walked to our side of the truck and opened our doors. We walked into _Topanga's_ and were amazed. It was covered in lights. KC, Farkle, and Aaron were up on the stage, already playing music. Marley was dancing with who I'm guessing was her date. Lucas and Taylor walked in and were equally amazed as us. After they finished the song they were playing, KC and Farkle came down to talk to us.

"What do you think?" KC asked.

"This is amazing," Maya said. "How did you do this?"

"Talked to Topanga," I said. "She loved the idea, so she closed the café early and helped us set it up. Since you couldn't go to prom, we figured we'd bring prom to you guys."

"What about you two?" Riley asked. "You should be able to dance and have fun too."

"I have some songs set up to play so that we can," Farkle said.

"We didn't want to go to prom if our friends weren't there," KC said. "Marley decided to do this with us for the same reason."

"Well, this is really nice of you two to think of this," Taylor said.

"Well, we were kind of inspired by our teacher's story," KC said.

"Mr. Jackson's story?" Lucas asked.

"Yeah."

"There's chips and salsa and punch over there," Farkle said, pointing to the counter.

"What about prom photos?" I jokingly asked.

"Oh, we got that covered," KC said. "One of the best photographers in the business."

"Thanks KC," Shawn said, coming out of the back. "Who's up first?"

"Me and Boing," I said, pulling him with me to get our photo taken.

**Riley's POV**

"You're letting Aaron stay up all night?" I asked, KC.

"It is a rare occasion," she said. Andrew and I began dancing.

"This is really nice," I told Andrew as we danced.

"Yeah, it is," he said. He was looking straight into my eyes.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I am totally in love with you," he said.

"And I am totally in love with you too," I said, looking in his eyes. We kissed. A slow song started and I laid my head on his chest.

"You two want to take your photos?" Shawn asked after the song ended.

"Sure," we said.

We went over and started posing for photos. He wrapped his arms around me. I looked back at him, and Shawn snapped a photo. We went back to the dance floor and Lucas and Taylor went to take photos. We kept dancing and I focus on him and the music. They started playing another slow song.

**Topanga's POV**

"Hey Cory," I said. "Remember our prom?"

"Yeah," he said. "We won King and Queen."

"And we found out that Josh was going to come into the world," I said.

"He grew up too fast," he said. "Josh was a tiny baby, now he's 21 and is going to graduate from college."

"Our daughter is 18," I said. "With a boyfriend that loves her. It's so odd."

"What is?"

"How I can already see the lights in their eyes that I saw in Shawn and Katy's," I said. "When he came to talk to us the other day, I could tell he meant what he said. He loves her, Cory."

"I know," he said. "And she loves him. That's why we told him what we told him."

"Yeah," I said.

**Farkle's POV**

After KC and I had a few dances together, we went back to the stage. Andrew asked us to do a specific song at the end of the night but didn't tell me why. It was almost midnight, so we decided to do the song.

"Okay so this next song was a really special request," Farkle said. "This is the last song of the night."

_**My heart's been locked up safe and sound/ I kept my feet on solid ground/ Always been cautious until now/ You bring out the danger in me/ So I don't wanna wait and see**_

**I'll jump, Baby you jump with me/ Ready, set, go! On the count of 3/ Feels right, why wait another moment?/ Just hold your breath and take that leap/ Don't want a safety net/ I'm diving off the edge/ And fallin' into you/ With no parachute**

_**I'm getting caught up in this rush/ **_**Never wanted something so much**_**/ I'm more afraid with every touch/ **_**But even though I'm scared half to death/ I can't wait for what comes next**

Andrew looked like he was a little nervous.

**I'll jump, Baby you jump with me/ Ready, set, go! On the count of 3/ Feels right, why wait another moment?/ Just hold your breath and take that leap/ Don't want a safety net/ I'm diving off the edge/ And fallin' into you/ **_**With no parachute/ No parachute**_

_**Don't need a thing to break my fall/ 'Cause when I crash I wanna feel it all**_

Andrew dipped Riley.

_**I'll jump, Baby you jump with me/ Ready, set, go! On the ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR/ **_**Feels right, why wait another moment?/ Just hold your breath and take that leap/ Don't want a safety net/ I'm diving off the edge/ And fallin' into you/ With no parachute/ No parachute**

Andrew spun Riley around as the music ended and got down on one knee, pulling out a box, and opening it before Riley turned around. When Riley saw Andrew, she put her hand over her mouth.

"I love you, Riley Matthews," he said. "These past few weeks have felt like years. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. You're the love of my life. Will you do me the honor and marry me?"

We all stood there in silence for a few seconds. The only one's that didn't seem surprised were Josh and Maya.

"Yes," Riley said. He slipped the ring onto her finger, stood up and kissed her.

"I love you," he told her.

"I love you too," she said. They both smiled.

"That's all we have for tonight," I said. "Hope everyone has a safe drive home. And congrats to Riley and Andrew!" I looked behind me and saw Aaron asleep on the drum set.

"Should we wake him?" I asked KC.

"No, we'll just put him in the car slowly," she said. Everyone else left. I picked up Aaron and took him out to my car. KC locked up _Topanga's_ and I drove them home.

**Topanga's POV**

Andrew and Riley walked in.

"How was prom?" I asked.

"Well, I got a big surprise," Riley said with a huge smile, holding up her hand to show the ring..

"She said yes," Andrew said.

"I'm happy for you," I said. "But I think you should get home, Andrew. You're new fiancée needs to get to bed. She has school tomorrow."

He laughed. "So do I," he said. "I love you." He kissed her, lightly.

"I love you too," she said. He left and Riley went to her room.

_**Author's Note: **__The song I used in this Chapter is "Parachute" by Jet Jurgensmeyer. You should all check out his Debut Album!_


	29. Chapter 29 Girl Meets Senior Trip Part 1

_**[May 14**__**th**__**, 2020]**_

**Cory's POV**

At about 5 in the morning, I heard a knock at the door. Riley and I were both up, eating breakfast. I opened the door and KC, Farkle, Maya, and Shawn were standing there.

"Hello lovebirds, Maya, and Shawn," I said.

"We figured we'd come here to hang out before we go to the school to leave for the trip," Farkle said.

"I was going to come with _them_," Maya said, motioning to KC and Farkle, "but he insisted that he drive me over here."

"He's a chaperon," I said.

"And we need to talk, Cor," Shawn said.

"What would we need to talk about, Shawnie?" I asked.

"Let's go to Riley's room," Shawn said.

"Why does everyone go to _my _room?" Riley asked.

"It's the best place to talk," Shawn said with a shrug.

"It really is," I said. KC, Farkle, and Maya agreed. I went with Shawn to Riley's room.

**Riley's POV**

"Are you guys ready for the trip?" I asked.

"Yeah," Maya said.

"Yep," Farkle said. "Brought my guitar." He held up his guitar case. I gave him a weird look. "What? There's always music around a camp fire."

**Cory's POV**

Shawn and I were sitting at the Bay Window.

"So what do we need to talk about?" I asked.

"Are you crazy?" He asked.

"Shawnie, I think we both know both of us are a little crazy," I said.

"How could you give Andrew your blessing _3 weeks _in to their relationship?" He asked.

"He loves her, Shawn," said. "I can see it in his eyes, so can Topanga."

"But _three weeks_, Cor," he said.

"Okay," I said. "What about Josh?"

"What do you mean?"

"What if Josh asked for your blessing three weeks into his and Maya's relationship," I said. "Would you have given it?"

"Well yeah," he said.

"Why is that?"

"Because I know him, Cory," he said. "I've known him his whole life. I know when he's in love. I know what kind of guy he is."

"It's the same with Andrew, with me," he said. "He has been Josh's best friend since they were six and eight. I watched him grow up. He's a good guy. Yes it was fast, but time has nothing to do with love."

"Yeah, you're right," he said. "How did I forget about that?"

"I don't know, buddy," I said.

**Riley's POV**

As we were waiting for dad and Shawn to get back from whatever they were talking about, we were talking about the trip.

"Hey why don't you play a song you've been working on?" Maya said. "Since we're waiting for those dorks to get done talking."

"Uh, sure," KC said.

"Wanna do _that _one?" Farkle asked her.

"Sure," she said. "This is a song that we heard and started practicing after we had a really big argument."

Farkle started strumming.

_**Even if we both break down tonight/ And you say you hate me, and we go to bed angry/ I know everything will be alright/ I'll be here waiting, I promise I'm changing/ I just need**_

KC started rapping. We didn't know she could.

_A little time to show you I'm worth it/ I know that I can be a difficult person/ I'm a stress case, drive you up the wall when I'm workin'/ Actually, I'm probably worse when I'm not, you don't deserve it/ Make you nervous 'cause you know I'ma break soon/ Every time I do, I say somethin' that hurts you/ Actin' like I'm gone, but we both in the same room/ I don't like to be wrong, which I know you relate to/ And I know I make you feel like you're at the end of your rope/ That's when I look at you and tell you I'd be better alone/ Just the pride talkin', isn't it? 'Cause both of us know/ I'm the definition of "wreck" if you look into my soul/Comes out the most when I feel I'm in a vulnerable place/ Made a lot of mistakes I wish I knew how to erase/ When I'm afraid, might get distant and I push you away/ But no matter the case, I'ma do whatever it takes even if_

_**Even if we both break down tonight/ And you say you hate me, and we go to bed angry/ I know everything will be alright/ I'll be here waiting, I promise I'm changing/ I just need**__/ Time / I, I need time / I just need time/ I, I need time/ Time, time_

_**Yeah, way before I bought you the ring/ We were fighting back and forth like you were wearin' the thing/ Two passionate people not afraid to say what they think/ Lead to passionate conversation when it's hard to agree/ **__You know me well, sittin' on the edge of my seat/ Lookin' at life, overanalyzin' everything__**/ **__Always depressed, tryna find a better version of me__**/ **__Searching for somethin' I know's prolly right in front of my feet__**/ **__Stubborn as me? Maybe not, but you're close to it__**/ **__Got a lot of issues, I'm tryin' to work through 'em__**/ **__Going to therapy for you's somethin' that's worth doin'__**/ **__When I know you been there for me through all of my worst moments__**/ **__And I know it hurts knowing that I carry this weight on my chest__**/ **__Making it difficult for me to open up and connect__**/ **__Lot of regrets, I apologize for all of the stress__**/ **__That's not what I meant to do, you know I love you to death even if_

_**Even if we both break down tonight/ And you say you hate me, and we go to bed angry/ I know everything will be alright/ I'll be here waiting, I promise I'm changing/ I just need/ **__Time / I, I need time / I just need time/ I, I need time/ Time, time_

"Sounds good," Shawn said.

"Thanks, dad," KC said.

"Thanks, Shawn," Farkle said.

"I didn't know you could rap," I said.

"I've been listening to NF for years," KC said. "So I've picked up on some of it."

"It is 5:45," dad said. "I think we should all head to the school."

We all headed out the door.

**Maya's POV**

We got to the campsite about 6:30 at night.

"Okay, we've got about two hours' worth of daylight left," Matthews said. "So go ahead and start pitching the tents. Figure out who you want to 'room' with."

"No girl and boys in the same tents," Shawn said. "Three to a tent."

"You two want to be in the same tent with me?" KC asked Riley and I.

"Sure," we both said.

_**[Late That Night]**_

We were all around the campfire telling stories that happened through the years.

"Remember the triangle?" Darby asked.

"Yeah, can we not talk about that?" Lucas asked.

"Agreed," I said.

"Why?" Sarah asked.

"Those were not good days for me," Lucas said. "It took too much out of me."

"There was never even a triangle anyways," KC said.

"What are you talking about?" Jade asked. "Yes, there was. You weren't here, so you wouldn't know."

"Just because I wasn't here doesn't mean I didn't know what went on," KC said. I was intrigued. "I notice things. I used to see Lucas every other weekend when he'd go back to Texas."

"So?" Smackle asked.

"He talked about Maya completely different than he did about Riley," KC said.

"How did he talk about Riley and Maya?" Darby asked.

"It doesn't even matter now," KC said.

"It's fine," Lucas said. "It's in the past."

"You sure?"

"Yes," he said.

"Lucas talked about Riley like a boy would talk about a girl he liked in a romantic way, like a girlfriend," KC said. "The way he talked about Maya…is the way he'd talk about me, like a sister."

Everyone looked shocked.

"But he almost kissed her," Riley said. "And she was worried about him."

"Him grabbing her face to stop her from doing a 'ha-hurr' was a reflex," I said. "And I reacted the same way when he told me he was going to ride Tombstone. I refused to go watch him. I watched from a distance, like Maya. Nothing terrified me more than seeing him motionless after he got thrown off the bull."

"So I was wrong," I said. "I told her she liked him when she didn't?"

"Yes, it was all a misunderstanding that got out of hand," KC said. "Did you realize when you told Lucas you two were brother and sister, you started acting like Maya had? Ha-hurrs and all."

"I guess I did," I said. "Well I'm glad we sorted out the past."

"Now, can we talk about something else?" Lucas asked.

"Sure," Shawn said coming over. "You guys know I have a brother right?"

"Yeah. Jack, right?" I asked. Most of our classmates went to bed.

"Yeah," he said.

"Is that who I hear you talking to on the phone sometimes?" Maya asked. "Why haven't we met him yet?"

"Yes," he said. "And he's a businessman. Started his own business a few years ago after he talked to Eric. He's been really busy. You will meet him soon, along with the twins."

"Really?" KC asked.

"Yeah, he's coming to your wedding," he said.

"So, are you two close?" KC asked.

"Somewhat," Shawn said, sitting down. "We officially met when I was just starting my senior year of high school. I had only written him letters before then, which I found out he never received. He said his mom must have thrown them away before he could see them. At first I didn't want anything to do with him because I thought he didn't even care all those years. We became roommates and got somewhat close. I don't think I can say we got _extremely _close like you and Maya, but we definitely acted like brothers. Our first bonding was when we realized we both liked ice skating."

"I can't believe I was scared to introduce you to our Christmas tradition," Maya said.

"Throwing snowballs at people definitely is the icing on the cake," Shawn laughed.

"Yeah," Maya laughed.

_**[The Next Morning: At the Matthews' Apartment]**_

**Topanga's POV**

I was sitting having coffee with Katy and Rachel.

"So what do you think of Taylor?" I asked Rachel.

"She is a really nice girl," she said. "She makes Lucas happy. That's all I could ask for."

"I can't believe KC is getting married in less than a month," Katy said. "But I couldn't be happier for her."

"Me either," Rachel said. "I'm glad she was able to find someone who cherishes and understands her like he does. She really needed that in her life. After Jaxon died, she went into a depression that almost swallowed her. I think Aaron, at the time, was her only reason to keep going."

"I think we will never really realize just how much of a blessing children are," Katy said.

"That is true. Jaxon was my ex-husband's son from a previous relationship," Rachel said. "But he was my son. I took him as my own. He was definitely a blessing. He was part of the reason I left the peace corps. And I found out I was pregnant with Lucas."

"I thought you said you were miserable there," I said.

"I was," she said. "They made me happy, though, and that's what I wanted."

"I had thought he was your biological son," I said.

"Topanga," she said. "He was Joshua's age, I would have been pregnant around the time Cory's mom was."

"Well, I didn't think of that," I admitted.

"It's so odd to me that you can talk with ease about him," Katy said.

"Well, it has been 5 years since he died," Rachel said. "There will always be that empty, broken part of my heart, but I have been able to move on enough to be able to talk about him without having to excuse myself to cry."

"Does Lucas know that Jaxon was his half-brother?" I asked.

"Yes, he does," she said. "They figured it out when Jaxon got his license, but they didn't care and carried on as if they didn't find it out. We didn't count steps or halves in our family. We were just family."

**Farkle's POV**

KC left her tent and I met her with some hot chocolate.

"Thanks," she said.

"Are Riley and Maya still asleep?" I asked.

"Yeah," she said. "Lucas and Zay?"

"Yep," I said. "Want to go fishing?"

"Sure," she said. We grabbed our fishing poles and walked to the lake. We cast our lines and sat on some rocks.

**Riley's POV**

I woke up and didn't see KC. Maya woke up.

"Where's KC?" She asked.

"I'm guessing she's outside already," I said. We walked out of the tent and looked around. I saw KC and Farkle fishing together- well, like 100 feet apart- but still together. We walked down to the lake.

"Hey guys," Maya said.

"Oh hey," Farkle said.

"Morning sleepyheads," KC said with a smile.

"Having fun?" Maya asked.

"Yes," KC said. "It's so peaceful here."

I saw dad and Shawn get out of their tent and Maya and I went to talk to them.

_**Author's Note: **__Sorry it took me so long to update. I've been really busy lately._


	30. Chapter 30:Girl Meets Senior Trip Part 2

_**[May 17**__**th**__**, 2020]**_

**Maya's POV**

I woke up at about 5 in the morning. I'm a light sleeper and something woke me up. KC was sleeping in her sleeping bag next to me. I looked over my shoulder and didn't see Riley. I slowly walked out of tent to see where she was. I looked at KC, to make sure I didn't wake her, before I zipped the tent door closed.

"Riley?" I whispered, looking around. I silently thanked God that He gave me blue eyes so I can see easier in the dark. I spotted her. She was doubled over, throwing up. I made my way over to her and grabbed her hair, pulling it out of her face. After a minute, she was done. "Riles, are you okay?"

"Do I look okay?" She asked.

"Are you sick? Did something we ate make you sick or something?"

"I don't think so, Maya," she said. I grabbed her a bottle of water out of a cooler. "Thanks."

"Then what do you think is up?" I asked.

"I missed my period, Maya," she said.

"You think you're pregnant?"

"It has been over a month since we did it," Riley said. "But maybe I'm being stupid. Maybe it is just something I've been eating."

"_Been_ eating?" I asked. "How long has this throwing up been going on?"

"About a week," she said.

"A _week_?!" I asked. "Riley you need to take the test."

"I will," she said. "At _some _point."

"No, today," I told her. "They have some at the camp store. At 7, we'll go get one."

"Maya," she said. "I don't want to test here."

"We both know if you don't do it now, you never will," I said. "Which could be dangerous for you and the baby, if you are pregnant."

"Don't tell anyone," she told me.

"I won't," I said.

**Farkle's POV**

KC and I were fishing.

"Where's Riley and Maya?" I asked.

"They said they were going to the camp store to get some snacks," she said. I heard Lucas talking to Mr. Matthews behind us. I looked behind me. They were coming down to the lake.

"So you got the job?" Mr. Matthews asked him.

"Yeah," Lucas answered. "I start a few days after graduation, so I'll have to leave the day after graduation." We knew what he was talking about. He got a job as a ranch hand.

"Oh, that's quick," Mr. Matthews said. "Will Taylor be going with you?"

"Yeah, we'll be going there together," Lucas said. "I'll be staying with Pappy Joe and she's getting her own Apartment."

"I'm glad that you're keeping your head on your shoulders," Mr. Matthews said. "You're taking care of yourself, not giving into those temptations."

"They're getting to be less and less," he said. "I never want to touch another drink again. I hate when I'm at my worst. That's what that brings out. I never want Taylor to see that side of me."

"Well that's good," he said. "Wanting to be better is a good motivation, putting it into action is much bigger."

**Maya's POV**

I waited for Riley to come out of the bathroom. She had been in there for 20 minutes.

"How you doin', Honey?" I asked.

I heard the click of the lock being released. She slowly came out.

"What is it, Honey?"

"It's positive," she said. "It could be a false positive, though."

"Do you want to get another one?" I asked.

"No," she said.

"Riley."

"I'll go to the doctor after the graduation and get tested again there, okay?" She said. I looked at her worriedly. "I promise."

"You better," I said.

"Can you keep it in your bag?" She asked. "I don't want my dad finding it if he tries to help me unpack."

"Okay," I said. "But you need to get it when we get back."

"Okay," she agreed.

We started walking back with our snacks. Yes, we actually got snacks.

**KC's POV**

I saw Riley and Maya coming back to camp, I ran to meet up with them.

"Hey, some of us are going to go up to the cliff," I told them. "Wanna come?"

"Sure," Riley said.

"Sure," Maya said. "Here's your Doritos and Farkle's jerky."

"Uh thanks," I said, taking them from her, a little confused. "I had asked for some mini donuts, but these are fine."

"You did?" she asked. "Sorry, my mind was preoccupied."

"With what?" I asked. Riley and Maya looked at each other.

"So what are we doing when we get to the cliff?" Riley asked.

"Just enjoying the scenery," I said.

"Nice," Maya said.

"Oh and if you want to, some of us are going to cliff jump," I said. "So change into your bathing suit if you are." I had already changed.

**Riley's POV**

Maya and I went into the tent.

"You're not cliff jumping," she told me.

"I know," I said. "Wait, why?"

"If you're pregnant, it could hurt the baby," she said.

"Okay, well, I don't want to anyways," I said. "But can you please stop talking about it?"

"Yeah, sorry," she said. "Uh, could you?" She wanted me to turn around so she could change.

"Yeah sure, sorry," I said, turning around.

**KC's POV**

Maya and Riley came out of the tent. Maya was wearing her red bikini under her shorts and shirt. Riley hadn't changed.

"So I take it you're not jumping, Ri?"

"Nope," she said. We started walking to the cliff. A couple of guys approached us.

"Hey ladies," one of them said.

"How'd you like to spend the day with us? We're visiting here too," the other said. "We'll make it worth your while." He winked at me and looked at me in a way that made my stomach turn. I was immediately uncomfortable.

"We all are taken, so please leave us alone," Maya said. They started talking in Spanish, obviously not realizing Maya and I are practically fluent in it now.

"Estas putas están jugando duro para conseguir," _**(These whores are playing hard to get)**_ the second one said. "¿Crees que el mayor es un luchador?" _**(You think the older one is a fighter?)**_

"No, no creo que pueda pelear," _**(No, I don't think she could put up a fight) **_the first one said. "¿Y la rubia?" _**(What about the blonde?)**_

"Creo que la morena es la más débil," _**(I think that brunette one is the weakest)**_ the second one said. They starting eying us up and down.

"¿Ya terminaste?" _**(Are you done now?)**_ I asked them. They looked at me shocked. "Buenos." _**(Good) **_I looked over at Maya.

"No somos putas, y no apreciamos que nos llames como tal," _**(We're not whores, and we don't appreciate you calling us as such.) **_Maya told them. "Y lo que acabas de decir nos muestra todo lo que necesitamos saber sobre ti." _**(And what you just said shows us everything we need to know about you)**_

They're mouths were agape. They thought we couldn't understand them.

"Yes, we speak and understand Spanish," I informed them. "My sister an I live in a mainly Spanish-speaking neighborhood. On top of that, I grew up in Texas and had a couple of friends who kindly lent me knowledge of the language."

"Is everything okay over here?" Farkle asked as he and Lucas walked over to us.

"Yes," the first one said.

"No," Maya said. "These guys thought it was a good idea to hit on us and basically planned to hurt us."

"No, nothing like that happened," the second one said. Maya grabbed his shirt.

"You're a liar," she told him. "Y si vuelves a mirar a mi hermana como lo hiciste, te arrojaré por ese acantilado. No estoy bromeando." _**(And if you look at my sister like you did again, I'll throw you off that cliff. I'm not joking.)**_

She let go of his shirt and they ran off.

"Thanks Maya," I said.

"Um, what did you just say to him?" Lucas asked.

"She said if he looked at me the way he did again, she'll throw him off the cliff," I said.

"How did he look at you?" Farkle asked concerned.

"A way that made my skin crawl," I said.

"If they go near any of you again, I'll kill them," Farkle said. Farkle got tense. I grabbed his hand and he calmed down. We walked up to the cliff.

"You ready?" I asked Farkle.

"There's something I haven't told you," he said. "I'm terrified of heights."

"So am I," I admitted. "Want to jump together?"

"Sure," he said. We watched as Maya jumped, smiling like crazy. Farkle took off his shirt, and I took off my shirt and shorts. We joined hands and started running. We jumped and within seconds were in the water. I broke to the surface and Farkle was looking at me, smiling. He swam to me and kissed me.

**Lucas' POV**

After I got out of the water after cliff jumping I saw Zay sitting alone on the beach. He didn't look happy.

"You okay, dude?" I asked, sitting next to him.

"Isadora broke up with me," he said. "I don't know what happened."

"I'm sorry, man," I said. "You'll find someone else."

"No, Lucas," he said. "You don't get it. I wanted _her_, I want _her_. I love her." His eyes started filling with tears. "We got in a fight, and she's just giving up on us."

"What was your fight about?" I asked.

"She wants me to go to Princeton with her," he said. "I don't want to go to college. She talked me into applying. I checked out the school with her, but it's just not for me. Something else is calling me, and she acts like that's a bad thing."

"What's calling you?" I asked.

"I'm going to be enlisting into the Air Force after high school," he said. "I want to do something great, something that means something. I want to do this, but she doesn't want me to. I asked her why and she broke up with me."

"Maybe she's just scared," I said.

"I don't know," he said. "Maybe she'll let me talk to her later."

**Farkle's POV**

We were all sitting around the campfire and KC and I started a song.

_**Would you rescue me? Would you get my back?/ Would you take my call when I start to crack?/ Would you rescue me? Uh/ Would you rescue me?/ Would you rescue me when I'm by myself?/ When I need your love, if I need your help/ Would you rescue me? Uh/ Would you rescue me?**_

_**We don't talk much, not anymore/ Broken bottles and slammin' doors/ But we still care about each other/ Say we care about each other/ I know life took us far away/ But I still dream 'bout the good old days/ When we took care of each other/ We were livin' for each other**_

_But I start to wonder, wonder/ If I'm slipping under, under/ Oh oh_

_**Would you rescue me? Would you get my back?/ Would you take my call when I start to crack?/ Would you rescue me? Uh/ Would you rescue me?/ Would you rescue me when I'm by myself?/ When I need your love, if I need your help/ Would you rescue me? Uh/ Would you rescue me?**_

**Would you rescue me? Would you get my back?/ Would you take my call when I start to crack?/ Would you rescue me? Uh/ Would you rescue me?/ Would you rescue me when I'm by myself?/ When I need your love, if I need your help/ Would you rescue me? Uh/ Would you rescue me?**

_**Yeah, I miss all the times we had/ Can't forget what you can't get back/ And you can't find it in another/ **_**Man, time, it ain't your lover**_/ I don't care what you thought before/ I'll be there anytime you call__**/ Don't you ever call another/ No need to call another**_

_And I start to wonder, wonder/ If I'm slipping under, under_

_**Would you rescue me? Would you get my back?/ Would you take my call when I start to crack?/ Would you rescue me? Uh/ Would you rescue me?/ Would you rescue me when I'm by myself?/ When I need your love, if I need your help/ Would you rescue me? Uh/ Would you rescue me?**_

_**Would you rescue me? Yeah**_

_**Would you rescue me?**_

_**Would you rescue me? Would you get my back?/ Would you take my call when I start to crack?/ Would you rescue me? Uh/ Would you rescue me?/ Would you rescue me when I'm by myself?/ When I need your love, if I need your help/ Would you rescue me? Uh/ Would you rescue me?**_

_**Author's Note:**_ _I apologize if the Spanish is off, I used an online translator. I am ¼ Hispanic, but I hardly know any Spanish. Hope you've been liking these chapters. Review and let me know what you think!_


	31. Chapter 31:Girl Meets Senior Trip Part 3

_**[May 19**__**th**__**, 2020]**_

**Riley's POV**

I woke up at about 6 in the morning. Dad told us that at least one person in each tent had to set an alarm so that we could pack up, eat breakfast, and head back to New York. In ours, it was me. KC and Maya woke up shortly after me. We took turns rolling up our sleeping bags.

We left our tent and put our sleeping bags in one of the suburbans. Then we took apart the tent. When we were all packed up we ate breakfast, then headed out.

We talked in the suburban. Dad was driving the one we (Zay, Farkle, KC, Maya, Marley, and I) were in.

"So did you all have fun?" He asked.

"Yeah," we all said.

"Did you, Mr. Matthews?" KC asked.

"Yes, I did," he said.

"I hope Aaron has had fun with his grandmothers this week," KC said.

"So that's where he stayed?" I asked.

"Yeah, he stayed with Rachel the first half, and with my mom for the second half," she said. "Well, that's what I decided for them to do, but how often do the grandparents listen?"

"True," dad said. "Topanga told my mom not to give Auggie sugar before bed when they were watching the kids for us, he was like 3, and she did it anyways."

"I take it she learned her lesson?" KC asked. "He's already hyper enough without sugar."

"Exactly," dad said. "He didn't crash until 3 in the morning."

"Speaking of sugar," Farkle said. "Does anyone have anything sweet? My blood sugar is low."

"I have a candy bar," I said. I looked in her bag. "Never mind."

"It melted?" KC asked.

"Yes."

"I have some mints," KC said. She handed one to Farkle. He immediately put it in his mouth.

"Thanks, babe," Farkle said. "Mints though? You're not a grandma _yet_," he joked. "That's a long ways away."

"Do you _want_ to walk home?" She gave him a look.

"No," he said. "Sorry."

KC started laughing. We all laughed with her.

"I love you, dork," she told him.

"I love you too."

"I can't wait to see my baby boy again," KC said. "I've never been away from him for this long."

"I can't wait to see Josh again," Maya said. I just stared out the window, thinking.

_Grandparents_, I thought._ That's what dad and mom will be if I __**am**__ pregnant. I'll be a mom; Andrew will be a dad. Why am I so scared?_

**Josh's POV**

My mom and dad came into the city today for my graduation tomorrow. They knocked on my apartment door and I opened it up for them.

"Hey graduate!" Dad said, giving me a hug.

"Hey dad," I said.

"Hey sweetheart," mom said.

"Hey mom," I said, giving her a hug.

"Who's this handsome young man?" Mom asked, jokingly referring to Andrew who was behind me, knowing exactly who it was.

"Hey, Mrs. Matthews!" He said, giving her a hug.

"I can believe you're graduating with your master's tomorrow!" Mom said. "Just yesterday, you were an eight year old boy, getting your head stuck in the banister."

"His fault," Andrew joked, pointing at me. It was true, though. He was dumb enough to listen to six year old me.

"So where's your roommate?" Dad asked, sitting on the couch. "Uh…Farkle, right?"

"Yeah, and they're on their senior trip," I said. "They should be coming back today."

"I can't wait to see Riley," Andrew said.

"Oh yeah, I remember Cory saying something about you being together," Dad said.

"Actually, they're engaged," I said. Dad looked a little shocked, raising his eyebrows.

"Engaged?" He asked.

"Yeah," Andrew said.

"Alan, they are growing up too fast," mom said.

"Why didn't Cory tell us about that part?" Dad asked.

"I don't know," I said.

"So both of your gals are coming home today?" Dad asked.

"Yeah," Andrew said.

"I know Maya is going to send me a lot of pictures from the trip, she loves showing me stuff that makes her happy like that," I said. As if on cue, my phone started buzzing. "She must have service now."

I started looking at the pictures. In one picture Maya must have had someone take the picture because she was in it. It was her, KC, and Riley laughing with their arms over each other's shoulders. Another one was of Farkle and KC. He was holding her watching the campfire with his guitar next to him. The last one she sent me was one with the whole class along with Cory. Shawn must have taken the picture with her phone. I showed Andrew and my parents the pictures.

"Wow, they look like they had fun," Andrew said.

"Yeah, they do," I said.

"Where did they go?" Mom asked.

"Some camping place in Canada," I said. "Look at this picture! May jumped off a cliff!"

"What?" Mom asked.

"They have cliff jumping there," I said. "Like where you jump off a cliff into the water below."

"Isn't that dangerous?" Dad asked.

"Maybe," I said, "but it looks like they had fun." I looked at another picture. "KC and Farkle jumped together." I was smiling at a picture of Maya and Riley when Maya texted me.

"So, what time should they be back?" Mom asked.

"Hold on, Maya texted me," I said. I looked at the text. "Oh wow."

"What is it?" Dad asked.

"Some jerks tried hitting on Maya, Riley, and KC," I said. Andrew got tense. "Then they talked to each other in Spanish. Maya and KC understand and can speak Spanish."

"Well what were they saying?"

"They were discussing who they thought was _weakest_," I said. Andrew's eyes were filled with anger. "They were planning on hurting one of them."

"Well it's a good thing they understood them," Mom said.

"Yeah, KC and Maya told them off in Spanish and English," I said. "Then Farkle and Lucas noticed something was up and went to see what was going on. Maya told one of the guys that looked at KC in a creepy way that if he did that again, she'd throw him off the cliff."

"Go, Maya!" Dad said.

"Alan!" Mom said.

"What?" He asked. "She's protecting her sister. You got a good one, Josh." I smiled.

"I know," I said.

**Maya's POV**

When we got back to the school, KC offered to drive me home, since Shawn was going over to the Matthews' apartment. We stopped by Josh's apartment to drop off Farkle and so I could see Josh.

"Hey," I said giving Josh a kiss. I saw his parents. "Hey Mr. and Mrs. Matthews!" I gave them a hug.

"Riley didn't come with you?" Andrew asked.

"Oh, no, she went with her dad back to her apartment," I said.

"Oh okay," he said. "I'm going to go see her." He grabbed his keys and left.

**Andrew's POV**

I knocked on the Bay Window. She smiled when she saw me. She unlocked and opened the Bay Window to let me in.

"Hey!" She said, happily.

"Hey, how was your trip?" I asked.

"It was pretty good," She said. "Except for some things that happened."

"You mean those jerks that tried to hit on you?" I asked.

"Yeah, how did you know?" She asked.

"I was over at Josh's," I said. "Maya texted him about it."

"Oh," she said. "Did she text him about anything else?'

"No, not that I know of, why?" I asked.

"Oh just wondering," she said.

"Okay," I said. I walked up to her and started kissing her. We both melted into it. We fell onto her bed. She stopped the kiss.

"Want to stay for dinner?" she asked.

"Sure," I said. I got up off of her bed. I kissed her on the forehead. "I'll go down and talk to your parents."

"Okay," she said.

**Maya's POV**

KC helped me take my stuff in. She set my bag on my bed. I went into the bathroom to let my hair down and wash my face.

"Want help unpacking your stuff?" KC asked. "Mom said she's taking Aaron out to a movie."

"Sure," I said. My eyes went wide when I remembered what was still in my bag. I hurried to my room. "Wait," I said, but it was too late, she already saw it.

"Maya," she said. "Is there something you need to tell me?"

"It's not mine," I blurted out.

"Maya," she said. "It's in _your _bag."

"I know it is," I said. "But it's not mine."

"If it's not yours, whose is it?"

"I can't tell you," I said. "I promised I wouldn't."

"Maya, I want you to be honest," KC said. "I understand if you're scared. I've been a teen mom too. Just want you to be able to come to me with stuff like this."

"It's not mine, KC," I said. "Josh and I haven't went that far…_he's_ not ready. I mean I am, but he wants to wait 'til marriage."

"Okay, glad you two are waiting 'til marriage," KC said. "And don't need to know you think you're ready, tmi Maya."

"Are we done here?"

"If it's not yours, then who could it possibly—" She paused. "Wait a second. When did she find out?"

"Who?" I asked, trying to play dumb. She figured it out.

"Riley," she said. "She is the _only _person you would hide something like this for."

"I promised I wouldn't tell anyone," I said.

"Wait," she said. "Is it even Andrew's?"

"What?" I asked. "How could you even ask that?!"

"Because you can't find out with this kind of test until after a month," she said. "Her and Andrew got together four weeks ago today."

"If you want to ask her about it, go ahead," I said. "Just make sure she knows I did _not_ tell you. I don't want her to hate me again. I have to give this to her anyways." I held up the test.

"Okay, let's go," she said, grabbing her keys.

**Riley's POV**

KC and Maya came into the apartment.

"Hey what are you guys doing here?" I asked.

"I came to return something _you left in my bag_," Maya said.

"Oh," I said. The test.

"Andrew, would you like a drink?" Mom asked. "I'm making daquiris."

"Sure," he said.

"Riley?" She asked me. "Do you want one?"

"She can't," KC said. "Uh, she's underage."

"As long as she stays in the apartment and we don't let her leave, she's actually allowed to have a drink in her parents residence," mom said.

"Riley," Maya said. "_The thing_." She motioned to my bedroom. I followed her up there. KC followed us.

"Why is she here?" I asked.

"She knows," Maya said.

"You told her?!"

"No, I found the test and figured it out," KC said.

"Oh," I said. "It could be a false positive. I'm going to the doctor the day after tomorrow to get the blood test to confirm it."

"I'm not trying to be mean, I just need to know," she said. "If you _are_ pregnant, is it Andrew's?"

"Yes!" I almost shouted. I went into a whisper. "How could you even ask me that?!"

"You two have been together for only four weeks," she said. "If it's his, then you weren't together when you—" She trailed off.

"We weren't," I said. "It's not something I'm proud of."

"Sorry," KC said. "I'm here for you if you need me."

"Thanks," I said. I started for the door. "I'm going back down to finish eating."

"One more thing," she said. I looked at her. "If you're pregnant, you can't drink alcohol."

"Okay," I said. I went and sat back down in my spot. Andrew held my hand.

"So, do you want one?" Mom asked.

"Can you make me a virgin one?" I asked. _Ironic_, I thought.

"Sure," she said. I interlocked Andrew and my fingers. He kissed my forehead.

"I love you," I said.

"I love you too," he said.


	32. Chapter 32: Girl Meets Ready

_**Author's Note: **__It's the day of Josh and Andrew's Graduation!_

_**[May 20**__**th**__**, 2020]**_

**Maya's POV**

I was getting ready for the graduation. I still couldn't figure out what dress to wear. I dialed KC.

"Get over here, I need help," I said when she answered, then hung up. She only lives a couple apartments from us. She came into our apartment about 30 seconds after I called her.

"Where are you?" she asked.

"In my room," I told her.

"You're decent, right?" she asked. "I have Aaron with me."

"Yes, KC," I said. "I'm decent." They walked into my room.

"Okay, what do you need help with?" she asked.

"I don't know what to wear," I said.

"Really, you called me over here for this?"

"Yes!" I said. "Now, what dress should I wear?"

She looked at the dresses.

"The blue and white one," she said. "It'll bring out your eyes."

"Hmm," I said. "You're right. Thanks."

"No problem," she said. "Now if you'll excuse us, we have to get home. Farkle's taking a shower, and I don't want him freaked out, wondering where we are, when he gets out. And I need to finish getting this guy ready before I can." They walked out. I changed into the dress KC said.

After a bit, mom and dad came into the apartment with the twins.

"Oh, sweetie," mom said. "You look so beautiful in that dress!"

"Thanks, KC helped me pick it out," I said.

"That's the dress I made with my mom when I was around your age," she said. I looked down at the dress I was wearing and smiled.

"I didn't know you made this," I said. "I remember you gave it to me, but you made it?"

"Yeah," she said. "That's one thing I liked doing with my mom. Sowing."

"Well, that makes this even better," I said. I looked at Shawn. "How do I look, dad?"

"You look absolutely beautiful," he said. This made me smile even bigger.

"Do you think Josh will like it?"

"Yes, I do," dad said.

"Me too," mom said. "Are you ready for the party?"

"Let's get through the graduation first," I said.

"Nervous?" dad asked.

"Yes, Captain Obvious," I said.

"I think we should go now," he said.

**Riley's POV**

Mom, dad, Auggie, and I got to the Yankees Stadium for the graduation. We went through the security check and looked around for Maya's family, dad mainly looking for Shawn. I spotted them. I sat by Maya, Auggie sat by Aaron, and dad and mom sat behind Shawn and Katy.

Mommy, can I get a snack?" Aaron asked KC.

"Sure, buddy," she said.

"Can I get one too?" Auggie asked mom.

"I don't want you going alone," mom said.

"I'll take them," Maya said.

**Maya's POV**

I walked with Auggie and Aaron to the concession stand, holding Aaron's hand.

"What can I get you?" The lady at the concession stand asked.

"What do you want?" I asked them.

"I want a hot dog," Auggie said.

"Aug, you can't have processed meat, you're on dialysis," I said.

"I want chips," Aaron said.

"Me too," Auggie said.

"Auggie, you know you can't eat that," I said.

"Ugh," he grunted. I know he hates being on Dialysis.

"Can, I get one water and one bag of chips," I asked. "And oh, is the peanut butter low-sodium?" I remembered Topanga saying he could have peanut butter as long as it was low-sodium.

"I'm sure we have some here." The lady said. I could tell she felt bad. She went to the others and talked to them. "Do we have low-sodium peanut butter? That kid is on dialysis." Somehow they found some and made the sandwich right in front of us. They rang everything up, or at least I thought they did. "Two dollars," she said.

"I'm sorry, but are you sure?" I asked. That didn't sound right.

"Yes, the sandwich is on the house," she said.

"You don't have to do that," I said.

"Please allow me to do this," she said. "Who are you to these boys by the way?"

Without a beat, Auggie said "She's our aunt." I smiled.

"I'm his aunt," I said motioning to Aaron. "I'm technically not his aunt yet," motioning to Auggie.

"She basically is," he said. I smiled again.

"Well, I think you're doing a pretty good job already," the woman said. "My name is Heather by the way."

"Well, thank you for making that sandwich," I said. "You really didn't have to."

"Yes, I did," she said. "Have a great day!"

"You too," I said. We walked back to our seats.

**Riley's POV**

They called Uncle Josh's name and Maya stood up and cheered his name. He saw her and smiled, and without caring what anyone thought he yelled as loud as he could "I love you, Maya!"

After a bit, when they got to the master's programs, they finally called Andrew's name. Now it was my turn to cheer _his _name. He blew a kiss at me, and I "caught" it.

After we exited the stadium we got Andrew and Josh to pose together, then Maya and I joined them. Then the parents took photos with them. We all then went to Topanga's to celebrate. Mom and dad set it up.

**Josh's POV**

We all started dancing and talking about our plans. Andrew went on and on about wanting to open his own restaurant. I talked to Cory about how I was planning on applying to be a social worker in Pennsylvania.

"So what made you go for this?" He asked. "You were undecided when you first started, weren't you?"

"Yeah, well I remembered about that kid Eric told me about," I said. "And I've always really cared about kids, so that's why I decided to take a chance and go for it."

"You mean Tommy?" He asked.

"Yeah," I said.

"He's actually right over there, talking to Eric," he said.

"Wait, really?"

"Yeah," he said.

"Well, he wasn't the reason I stuck with it," I said.

"What was that reason?" He asked.

"Actually, meeting KC," I said motioning to her on the stage, "and hearing about what she went through."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I want to be able to change situations like that," I said. "For six or more years, she was abused by that monster and nothing was done about it. She deserved better. Kids in similar situations deserve better."

"Yeah they do," he said, looking at KC.

"Hello Joshua," Mr. Feeny said. "Congratulations!"

"Thank you, Mr. Feeny," I said, "means a lot."

**Maya's POV**

Some time passed and Josh was talking to TJ. I gave KC a thumbs up.

"Hey, can I get everyone's attention?" She asked. Everyone stopped and looked at her. "This is a song dedicated to Joshua by his lovely girlfriend, my sister, Maya Hunter. She rewrote some of the lyrics to fit more to _their _story." Farkle started playing. Josh came and sat next to me.

_She said/ "I was seven, and you were nine/ I looked at you like the stars that shined/ In the sky, the pretty lights."/ And your brother used to joke about the two of us/ Growing up and fallin' in love/ And our mamas smiled, and rolled their eyes/ And said, "Oh, my, my, my"_

**Take me back to the house in the backyard tree/ Said you'd beat me up; you were bigger than me/ **_You never did, you never did/ _**Take me back when our world was one block wide/ I dared you to kiss me, and ran when you tried/ Just two kids, you and I/**_ Oh, my, my, my, my_

_Well, you were fifteen, when suddenly/ I wasn't that little girl you used to see/ _

_**[Flashback:] **_

_**Josh: Um It's been awhile.**_

_**Maya: Sure has.**_

_**Josh (Scratching the back of his neck): Well Boy, you grew up gorgeous.**_

_**Riley: You are not going to be my aunt.**_

_ Boy, was she wrong, _I thought.

_But your eyes still shined, like pretty lights/ _**And your brother used to joke about the two of us/ He never believed we'd really fall in love/ And our mamas smiled**_, and rolled their eyes/ And said, "Oh, my, my, my"_

**Take me back to the creek beds we turned up/ 2 am, ridin' in your truck**_/ And all I need is you next to me_**/ Take me back to the time we had our very first fight/ Slammin' of doors 'stead of kissin' goodnight**_/ You stayed outside 'til the morning light/ _**Oh, my, my, my, my**

_A couple years had gone and come around/ We were sittin' at our favorite spot in town/ And you looked at me, I got down on one knee_

Farkle started playing soft guitar and KC stopped singing and watched. Josh looked over and I was on one knee holding open a box with a silver ring in it.

"So, you said that you would look for signs that I'm ready," I told him. "And I thought: what better way to let you know I'm ready than to do it myself?" He was smiling. Tears were starting to fill his eyes. "So I have a question for you. Joshua Gabriel Matthews, will you marry me?"

"Yes. Of course, I'll marry you," he said. He smiled the biggest smile I've ever seen on his face. I hugged him and he hugged me back.

"May I?" I asked, taking the ring out of it's box. He gave me his hand and I slipped it onto his ring finger. KC started singing again.

**Take me back to the time when we walked down the aisle/ Our whole town came, and our mamas cried/ You said, "I do, " and I did too/ Take me home where we met so many years before/ Maybe Feeny'll teach our kids like he taught Cor/**

Almost everyone, including Mr. Feeny, laughed.

**After all this time, **_you and I_

_And I'll be eighty-seven, you'll be eighty-nine/ I'll still look at you like the stars that shine in the sky/ Oh, my, my, my_

**KC's POV**

I walked down to Maya and Josh.

"Congrats you two!" I said, happily. "I know it's early, you have yet to set the date, but I wanted to give you your wedding present now, if you'll take it."

"Okay," Maya laughed, obviously confused. "What you got for us, sis?"

I pulled out a box. And opened it to show them.

"KC, isn't that—" She began to ask.

"My old wedding ring?" I finished for her. "Yes, and Jaxon's."

"How do you have his?"

"Lucas has had it for all these years," I said. "I never knew. When I told him I was planning on giving you mine, he showed me he had it." Just then, Lucas came up to congratulate Maya and Josh.

"Huckleberry," Maya said. "You should know grave robbing is illegal." A humored smile was planted on her face. He was confused until he saw I had the rings. He smiled.

"Jaxon and KC both agreed that they didn't want to be buried with their rings," Luke said. "Because as you can see, they can still be put to use."

"We would love to take them," Josh said. "But how do you know his will fit me?"

"I asked Maya what your ring size was," I said.

"How did you know the other would fit Maya?" Josh asked.

"She's tried it on before," I said.

**Maya's POV**

Josh's parents walked up to us.

"Congrats you two," Alan said.

"I am so happy for you both!" Amy said. She gave us a hug.

"We both are," Alan said. "And we'd like to talk to you about something."

"We will be moving to New York before the Fall," Amy said.

"What about the house?" Josh asked, concerned.

"That's why we'd like to talk to you," Alan said. "Eric and Cory live here, Morgan lives in Albany. We'd like the house to stay in the family name."

"So if you will," Amy said. "We'd like to sign the house over to you two after you get married."

"Really?!" I asked.

"Yes," Alan said. "So what do you say?"

"Yes," we said together.

"Yes, we would love to," Josh said.

"It will be a lot of responsibility," Alan said. "You'll be paying for water, electricity, and other bills. Are you prepared for that?"

"Yes," Josh said.

"We can do it," I said. "Thank you."

I went over to Cory.

"Hey Mr. Matthews," I said. He put up his hand.

"Call me Cory outside of school," he said. "We're going be family. Congrats, Maya!"

"Thanks Cornelius," I said.

"I said for you to call me _Cory_," he said.

"Cornelius isn't a bad name, you know," I said. "I mean, it's my brother's middle name."

"Thanks Maya," he said.

"And besides," I said. "Aren't sisters-in-law supposed to be annoying, Cornelius?"

"Yes and so are brothers-in-law, Penelope," he countered.

"Well, played, Matthews, well played," I said. We both started laughing.

**Riley's POV**

I was really happy for them. I did my best to push back thoughts about my appointment tomorrow. Maya's going to be my aunt. I couldn't help but smile at that thought.

_**Author's Note: **__I hope you liked this Chapter! I think it's really sweet, I hope you do too._

_I figured Maya wearing a dress her mom made would be sweet. I actually have a dress that my mom made with her grandmother, which I love wearing. _


	33. Chapter 33: Girl Meets Mr & Mrs Farkle

_**[May 30**__**th**__**, 2020]**_

**KC's POV**

I woke up by Aaron jumping on me. We moved out of the apartment yesterday. We're staying at my mom's apartment for now. We'll be moving into Farkle's apartment after the honeymoon.

"Wake up, mommy!" He said.

"Good morning, sweetie," I said.

"Morning," he said. "Are we going over to Auggie's today, mommy?"

"Yeah," I said. "You can get ready with Auggie."

"You're gonna look real pretty, mommy," he said. "You always do."

"Thanks, Honey," I said.

"Good morning," mom said. "Today's the big day!"

"I know," I said. "I really hope Marley remembers to get the dresses."

"She's done pretty good as your Maid of Honor so far," she said. "I doubt she'll forget."

"Yeah, she has."

**Riley's POV**

I sat in the Bay Window, waiting for Andrew to show up. He came through the door.

"Hey, your mom told me you were in here," he said.

"Hey," I said. I felt a little nervous. He could tell.

"Hey, you okay?" He asked, sitting next to me.

"Yeah," I said. "I just need to talk to you about something."

"Oh," he said. "You're shaking. Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, I'm just a little nervous."

"What is it that we need to talk about?"

"I'm pregnant," I said. He stared at me. I couldn't tell what he was feeling. He smiled.

"Are you sure?" He asked.

"Yes, I took a test on the senior trip, but I wanted to make sure I knew for sure before I told you, so I went to the doctor to get the blood test done the day after you graduated," I said. "I got the results on Tuesday. It was positive with both."

"You don't need to be nervous to tell me anything, Riley," he said. He looked at me in such a loving way. He blinked a few times.

"You're not dreaming," I joked.

"I know," he said. "I just realized, I'm going to be a _dad_."

"And I'm going to be a mom," I said. I smiled. He put his hand on my abdomen.

"I love you," he said.

"I love you too," I said.

"I actually wasn't talking to you," he said. "But I _do_ love you." He looked down. "I was talking to him or her." I smiled.

I put my hand on top of his that was on my abdomen.

"_We_ love you," I said.

"When are we going to tell the others?" He asked.

"Probably sometime after the wedding," I said. "Maybe in a few days."

"Yeah," he said. "We wouldn't want to take the attention away from them."

"Exactly."

**KC's POV**

Topanga opened the door for Maya, Aaron, and I.

"Hey!" She said.

"Hey," Maya and I said. Maya headed for Riley's room.

"Mommy, can I play with Auggie?" Aaron asked me.

"Sure," I said. "But you both will have to get ready when your Uncle Lucas brings your tuxes."

"Okay," he said. He looked up at "Where's Auggie?"

"He's in his room," she told him. He ran off to Auggie's room.

"Those boys are going to endure 'til the end, I swear," I told Topanga.

"I agree," she said. "So are you ready?"

"For the wedding?" I asked. We went and sat on the couch.

"Yeah," she said.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Of course," she said.

"Do you think I'm good enough for Farkle?"

"He seems to believe you are," she said.

"Tope," I said.

"Yes, I do," she said. "But it doesn't matter what I think. What do you think?"

"I'd like to believe I am," she said. "What if I'm holding him back?"

"That's what Cory thought when I decided to go to Pennbrook instead of Yale," she said. "But KC, you are not, and I repeat _not_, holding him back. If anything, you are pushing him forward. He's better because of you, and you are better because of him."

"Thanks Tope," I said. "Stupid that I need reassurance, huh?"

"No, not at all," she said. "I needed that too when I was engaged to Cory, and even before that, especially when my parents divorced."

"I really love him," I said. "He really loves Aaron and I. I never thought I would ever find anyone else after Jaxon died, but here I am, on my wedding day, about to get married to the most amazing man I've ever met."

"Where's Marley, by the way?"

"She's going to be here around 10," I said. Farkle, Josh, Lucas, and Isaiah came into the apartment.

"Hey guys," I said.

"Hey," Josh said.

"Hey babe," Farkle said kissing me on the cheek.

"Got the tuxes," Lucas said. I looked through them. There was one missing.

"Lucas," I said.

"What?" He asked.

"Where's Aaron's?" I asked. He looked through them.

"Dang it!" He said. "I'll go back."

"No, I'll go," I said. I grabbed my keys and walked out the door.

**Farkle's POV**

"_Good job, Luke_," Zay said sarcastically.

"Shut up," Lucas said. "It was a simple mistake."

**KC's POV**

I got out of my car with Aaron's tux after I picked it up. I locked the doors and started walking towards Riley's apartment. I almost got to the door.

"Hello, KC," I heard from behind me. That voice. I didn't know whether or not to turn around. I did, even though I told myself not to. It was Derrick.

"W-w-w-what are you d-doing here?" I stuttered out. My chest tightened.

"I only got two years," he said. "You didn't know that, did you?" I couldn't speak. Every memory came flooding back. I started breathing heavier. He walked to where he was right next to me. "See you around," he whispered in my ear. He walked away. I broke down and started having a panic attack.

**Farkle's POV**

"Hey, I'm gonna see if KC's back," I told the guys. I walked out of the apartment. I saw KC on the sidewalk. She was obviously having a panic attack. "KC," I said, going to her. "What happened?" I wrapped her in a hug, she collapsed into my arms. He breathing slowed and I could tell she was calming down a little. "I'm here, KC," I said. "It's okay, I'm right here. What happened?"

"D-d-derrick is back," she said, with tears in her eyes. "He-he approached me when I was walking back to Riley's apartment."

"What?" I asked. "Come on, let's get inside." I helped her to her feet and we went inside.

After we told Topanga about it, she was even confused.

"His lawyer told me he was doing 5 years," she said. "The only way it's possible is if his charge was reduced to something like Assault instead of Attempted Murder."

"Should we call the police?" I asked.

"They won't be able to do anything, he didn't commit a crime," Topanga said. "Why don't you boys go start getting ready."

"Okay," we said.

**Topanga's POV**

KC was sitting there with her head in her hands.

"How, Topanga?" she asked. "How does he still get to me after two years? I was okay. No, I was great! And just seeing him again and hearing his voice made everything flood back into my head. Every hit, every _touch_, _everything_."

"I know how you're feeling," I said. "But listen to me, okay?"

"Okay," she said, looking up and towards me.

"You can't focus on what happened, don't focus on him," I said. "This is _your _day. _Yours and Farkle's_. Focus on that. Focus on how cute Aaron will be as the ring bearer." She smiled. "You are going to be an amazing wife and you're already an equally amazing mother."

"Thanks, Topanga," she said.

"Anytime," I said. Marley came in.

"Sorry," she said. "I saw KC's car, so I just came in."

"It's fine," I said. "Got the dresses?" I saw her holding them.

"Yeah," she said. "KC, are you okay?"

"Yeah, now I am," KC said.

I got up and took my dress from Marley and went to my room to change.

_**[At the church]**_

**KC's POV**

I just put on my dress. Marley started curling my hair. I heard a knock at the door.

"Can we come in?" Riley asked.

"Yeah, sure," I said.

"Wow you look beautiful in that dress," Ava said.

"Thanks, Ava," I said.

"You're not burning her, right Mar?" I heard Maya ask.

"Right," Marley said.

"Where's my mom?" Riley asked.

"She's getting the makeup from my car," I said.

"You never wear makeup," Maya said.

"I'm just going to wear a little."

**Farkle's POV**

Pastor Michael, the pastor with our church, walked up the Aisle first. I walked up the Aisle and took my place. Lucas stood next to me. Auggie, Josh, and Mr. Matthews took their seats in the front row of my side. I watched as Aaron walked down the Aisle with the rings on the pillow. He sat next to Auggie. Topanga, Riley, Maya, Ava, and Marley walked up the Aisle. Then KC came into view. She looked beautiful, as always. On one side was Katy, and on the other, was Shawn. She wanted both of them to walk her down the Aisle. We joined hands when they gave her away. Marley stood by KC's side while the other ladies sat in the front row of KC's side. Our parents sat together.

"Dearly Beloved," Pastor Michael said. "We are gathered here today in the sight of God and these witnesses to join together Farkle and Katy Carmela in Holy Matrimony. I will now read a Bible passage that KC and Farkle picked out together; Songs of Solomon Chapter 8, Verse 7:

_**Many waters cannot quench love, nor can rivers wash it away. If one were to give all the wealth of his house for love, it would be utterly scorned.**_

"Now, KC and Farkle will exchange their vows," Pastor Michael said. "I understand you two will perform a song to express your vows."

"Yes," we both said. I grabbed my guitar and Pastor Michael placed a microphone between us. I started playing.

**KC's POV**

I began singing.

_Kiss the tears right off your face/ Won't get scared, that's the old, old, old me/ I'll be there, time and place/ Lay it on me, all you're hold, hold, holding _

_Time, time only heals if we work through it now/ And I promise we'll figure this out_

**I will take your pain/ And put it on my heart/ I won't hesitate/ Just tell me where to start**_/ I thank your parents for giving me you/ You saved me once and now I'll save you too/ _**I won't hesitate**_ for you_

All of the good memories with Farkle flooded in.

_**Don't you ever say goodbye/ Cross my heart, and you can keep, keep, keep mine/ If I could only read your mind/ Then I could map out all the ways to make it right**_

_**Time, time only heals if we work through it now/ I, I promise we'll figure this out**_

**I will take your pain/ And put it on my heart/ I won't hesitate/ Just tell me where to start**_**/ I thank your mother for giving me you/ You saved me once and now I'll save you too/**_** I won't hesitate**_** for you**_

_**Pull me close and I'll hold you tight/ Don't be scared 'cause I'm on your side/ No, there's nothing I wouldn't do for you**__/_ _Pull me close and I'll hold you tight/ Don't be scared 'cause I'm on your side/ No, there's nothing I wouldn't do for you_

**I will take your pain/ And put it on my heart/ I won't hesitate/ Just tell me where to start/ I thank the Savior for giving me you/ Give you my love and you give me yours too/ I won't hesitate for you**

"That was beautiful," Pastor Michael said. "May I have the rings?" Aaron walked up with the rings. "Farkle, please take the ring you have selected for KC." Farkle took the ring from Aaron. "As you place it on her finger, repeat after me: With this ring, I thee wed."

"With this ring, I thee wed," Farkle said putting the ring onto my left ring finger.

"KC, please take the ring you have selected for Farkle," Pastor Michael said. I took the ring from the pillow Aaron was holding. "As you place the ring on his finger repeat after me: With this ring, I thee wed."

"With this ring, I thee wed," I said, putting the ring on Farkle's left ring finger.

"May Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, always be at the center of the new lives you are here forth building together, that you may know the ways of true love. May the Lord bless you both all the days of your lives. Amen." He had us join our right hands. "Those whom God has joined together, let no man separate. I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride."

Farkle dipped me and kissed me passionately.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you Mr. and Mrs. Farkle Minkus!" Everyone started cheering.

We went to the hall in the back of the church where the reception was being held. I had all of the bachelorettes gather behind me. I threw the bouquet, and Maya caught it. I smiled.

**Maya's POV**

After the reception we all followed Farkle and KC out of the church. KC and Farkle hugged Aaron. He's staying with us until they get back. They waved as they got into the car. They drove off, heading to the airport.

_**Author's Note: **__The song I used in this chapter was "Hesitate" by the Jonas Brothers (with slightly edited lyrics). _


	34. Chapter 34: Girl Meets Fear

_**[June 8**__**th**__**, 2020]**_

**KC's POV**

Uncle Jack was over at my parent's apartment, talking to Shawn. I went over there to drop off Aaron with Maya, so she could take him to his preschool.

"Morning, KC," he said.

"Morning, Uncle Jack," I said.

"It was really nice to see you get married," he said. "I think the last wedding I went to was Cory and Topanga's." He laughed. "It's really weird having nieces and a nephew."

"Thank you for going," I said. "And I'm sure it is, I'm sure Maya can relate to that."

"So where is your husband?"

"He's at the hospital getting prepped for surgery," I said.

"Oh yeah, right," he said. "He said he was donating an organ."

"Yeah," I said. "I'm going to go to the hospital so they can keep me updated."

"So are you married?" Maya asked him.

"Yeah, I am," he said. "The woman with me at the wedding is my wife. Her name is Maria. She's a nurse. She had to go to work right after the wedding, so I wasn't able to introduce her to you."

"Well, I should probably get to the hospital," I said. I hugged Aaron and walked out the door.

**Maya's POV**

"I should probably head out, too," Uncle Jack said. "I've got a meeting with my staff."

"It was nice of you to stop by," Dad said.

"Yeah, well," he said. "It's good to see family."

"See you later," he said. He walked out.

**KC's POV**

I was walking to my car when I heard distant footsteps behind me. I looked behind me and saw it was just Uncle Jack leaving the apartment too. I unlocked my car door and got in. I went to shut the door when it didn't. I looked up. Derrick was holding the door.

"Hey KC," he said.

"Let go of my door, I have to leave," I said.

"Oh yeah, your _husband_ is getting surgery today, right?" He asked. _How does he know that? _I thought. _Is he stalking me? Is he stalking __**us**__?_

"How do you know that?" I asked, horrified.

"That doesn't really matter," he said with a smile. To others it may have seemed like a normal smile, but I could see the mischief in it.

"Just leave me alone," I said, trying to pull the door to shut it again.

"What's wrong, KC?" Derrick asked, now getting in my face. "Am I _scaring_ you?" My heart started to race.

"Is there a problem here?" I heard Uncle Jack ask. I became slightly relieved. Derrick stood at my door and looked at Uncle Jack.

"It's none of your business, old man," he said.

"Well, _she_ is my niece," motioning to me, "so I'm _making it_ my business." Derrick, backed away from my door.

"See you later, KC," he said with a smile. He walked away.

"Yeah, not likely," Uncle Jack said to him. He looked at me. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I just have to get to the hospital," I said.

"Tell me if that punk tries to approach you again, okay?" He asked.

"Okay, thanks," I said.

"Who was he, by the way?" He asked.

"My ex," I said, shutting the door. I started up the car and drove away.

**Maya's POV**

We went to Mr. Matthews' class.

"Good morning, class," He said.

"Morning," we all said.

"Why aren't you at the hospital?" I asked. "Shouldn't you be there with Auggie?"

"Topanga went with him," he said. "The doctors said we all didn't need to be there. They said maybe one person to keep updated."

"KC is there with Farkle," I said.

"What's the lesson for today?" Lucas asked.

"Fear," Cory said. "What is it?"

"Feeling in danger," Lucas said. "Whether there's any real reason or not."

"What's something that has made you fearful?" He asked.

"The train wreck Maya, KC, and I were in," Riley said.

"Riding Tombstone," Lucas said.

"Farkle and Auggie getting surgery," I said.

"I think that makes us all fearful because we all care about them," Lucas said.

"Love," Smackle said. We all looked at her. "I'm scared of love."

"Why is that, Isadora?" Mr. Matthews asked.

"Because it doesn't always work out," she said. "You'll never know how strong it is."

"That's life," Lucas said. "That can apply to almost anything. You just have to be brave enough to take that leap."

"Zay, what is something that has made you fearful?" Mr. Matthews asked. Zay looked at Smackle.

"Losing her," he said.

"What's something you can do to fight or even defeat fear?"

"Think of good things," Riley said.

"Face it," I said.

"Like how KC did with her father," Riley said. "She stood up to him. Same with Derrick." The bell rang, other classmates walked out of the room.

"I think she's still scared of _him_, though," I said. "He approached her again today, Uncle Jack intervened."

"Wait, really?" Riley asked. "That has to be scary."

"That's not the scariest part," I said. "He knew that Farkle was getting surgery today."

"What?!" Riley asked alarmed.

**Zay's POV**

"Hey Isadora," I said, catching up to her in the hall.

"What is it, Zay?" She asked, turning to face me.

"Is that why you want me to go to Princeton?" He asked. "Because you're scared we won't be strong enough to go the distance with me in the military?"

"Yes," she said. "Only 58% of long distance relationships are successful."

"And 85% of military relationships are successful," I said. "Isadora, I love you. I want us to be that 58% and that 85%, but that won't happen if we don't try."

"I know," she said. "I'm not good at this. I have to get to class." She walked away. I went to my class, and then went to science.

**Isadora's POV**

I went to science class and sat next to Maya. We had a substitute, who looked pretty young, maybe in her late twenties.

"Hello, my name is Dr. Sofia Cassidy," she introduced herself. "I will be taking over for Mr. Williams for rest of the year. Due to unexpected health issues, he is unable to teach for the rest of this year."

I was wrong about her being a substitute.

"What should we call you?" Maya asked.

"You can call me Dr. Cassidy, Dr. C, or even Sofia," she said.

"_Dr. C_, I like that," Maya asked.

I was doodling on my notebook, something I started doing since I broke up with Zay. Maya looked over.

"What's that?" Maya asked. "Are you doodling?"

"I don't know how I feel," I told her.

"About Zay?"

"Precisely," I said. "What am I to do?"

"Maybe write down everything you like about him," she said.

"We've never kissed," I said to myself.

I started daydreaming.

_I started hearing a bass playing. I started singing._

_**Don't freak out, it's okay/ 'Cause true love can save the day/ And I think we feel the same/ But I don't know**_

_**Does he love me, or does he love me not?/ Do I love him and is it strong enough?**_

_**Riley and Maya**__started singing back up for me._

_**One kiss (**__**one kiss)**__**/ It all comes down to this/ One kiss (**__**one kiss)**__**/ Oh-oh, oh/ One kiss (**__**one kiss)/ **__**This moment could be it/ I, I, I wanna know/ So here I go/ **__**OhOhhOhhhOh**_

_I walked up to Zay, leaned up to him, but turned away. _

_**Keep it cool, keep it calm/ Think he's loved me all along/ But maybe I got it wrong/ So I don't know/ He's so good, got my back/ But maybe I'm just too bad/ Could we be a perfect match?/ Now, I don't know**_

_I looked over at Zay._

_**Does he love me, or does he love me not?/ Do I love him and is it strong enough?/ Oo-oo-oo**_

_**One kiss (**__**one kiss)**__**/ It all comes down to this/ One kiss (**__**one kiss)**__**/ Oh-oh, oh/ One kiss (**__**one kiss)/ **__**This moment could be it/ I, I, I wanna know/ So here I go **__**(Ah-oop-oop)**__**/ Yeah, here I go **__**(Ah-oop-oop, Ah-oop-oop)**_

_Riley and Maya seemed annoyed I didn't kiss him yet._

_**I feel my heartbeat beatin'/ Saying: "It's gonna work"/**_

_I turned and Zay was in a military uniform._

_**But if I'm dream, dream, dreamin'/ This is gonna hurt/ Either I will or I won't/ What if I do and he don't?/ Is he my Romeo?/ Oh, there's only one, one way to really know**_

_Riley and Maya helped me up on the table and I walked from table to table towards Zay. I pushed him into the wall and looked him in the eyes._

_**Hey!/ One kiss (**__**one kiss)**__**/ It all comes down to this/ One kiss (**__**one kiss)**__**/ Oh-oh, oh/ One kiss (**__**one kiss)/ **__**This moment could be it/ I, I, I wanna know/ So here I go/ Here I go/ Here I go/ Here I go**_

_Leaned in and I kissed him. _

"Isadora?" I barely heard Dr. Cassidy say. "Isadora," she said again, dropping a book in front of me. I snapped out of it. I looked around, everyone else was gone.

"Sorry," I said. "Where is everyone?"

"Class is over," she said. "Should I be concerned about why you didn't touch you test?" I looked down, seeing a test in front of me.

"I—" I trailed off.

"Is what you were daydreaming about more important than the class?"

"Yes," I said.

"Really?" She asked, intrigued. "What was it about?"

"I think I know how I feel now," I said

"I see, so it was about a guy," she observed.

"Yes," I said.

"So are you going to do something about it?" She asked.

"I do not believe I am brave enough to do so," I told her.

"Listen," she said. I focused my attention on her. "If you believe he is the one you want to spend the rest of your life with, don't let him get away. Don't let fear control you."

"Thank you, Dr. Cassidy," I said.

"I know that you are in the top five of your class, so I am willing to give you a make-up test," she said. "Today, after school, come to the classroom, and I will give you the make-up test."

"Thank you," I said. I left for lunch.

**Riley's POV**

I went to lunch after science class. I grabbed my tray and sat by Maya, Marley, Lucas, and Zay.

"Have you heard anything from your mom?" Maya asked me.

"Not yet," I said. "You heard anything from KC?"

"Nope," she said. "Maybe they're waiting to make sure they both got through it fine."

"Yeah, maybe," I said. I saw Smackle walk in. She walked up to us.

"Zay," she said. "May I speak with you alone?"

"Sure," he said. They left the lunch room.

**Zay's POV**

So what do you want to talk about?" I asked. She sat down on a bench and I sat next to her.

"Feelings are really hard for me to understand," she said.

"I know," I said.

"But I think I understand how I feel about you," she said.

"And how's that?"

She looked in my eyes, which I've never seen her do with anyone before.

"I want to be brave," she said. "I don't want to be scared of my feelings anymore." She scooted to where our thighs were touching. "And even though this makes me uncomfortable, I oddly feel safe." She leaned in and I leaned in with her. We kissed. We parted and our hands were touching.

"May I?" I asked.

"You may." I held her hand. "I love you." I smiled.

"I love you too." She smiled back at me.

"I'm willing to try to make the distance work," she said. "You want to do this, I should support you." We kissed again.

**Riley's POV**

At the starting of our next period, my mom called me. She said she was calling for both her and KC, since KC was with Farkle. Maya and I went out into the hall and I put my phone on speaker.

"Both of the surgeries were successful," she said. "They are both doing fine. You can come visit after school."

**KC's POV**

I checked the time and saw it was the end of school.

"I'm going to go get Aaron," I said.

"Okay," Farkle said.

"I'll be back," I said.

I went to the daycare.

"I'm here to pick up Aaron," I said.

"Oh, I'm sorry, his uncle already picked him up," Jessica, the daycare woman, said.

I sent a group text to Josh and Lucas: _Is Lucas Aaron with one of you?_

_No_, they both replied. I began to panic.

_What's up?_ Luke asked.

"My son only has three uncles," I informed Jessica. "My brother - who is a one year old, my brother-in-law - Lucas Friar, and my future brother-in-law - Joshua Matthews. Who did you let take my son?!"

"He said he was your brother," she said. "He said his name was…Derrick."

_**TO BE CONTINUED…**_

_**Author's Note: **__The song I used in this Chapter is "One Kiss" from Descendants 3. _


	35. Chapter 35: Girl Meets Impaired

_**Previously on Girl Meets World**_

_**KC's POV**_

"_I'm here to pick up Aaron," I said. _

_ "Oh, I'm sorry, his uncle already picked him up," Jessica, the daycare woman, said._

_ I sent a group text to Josh and Lucas: __**Is Lucas Aaron with one of you?**_

_**No**__, they both replied. I began to panic. _

_**What's up?**__ Luke asked._

"_My son only has three uncles," I informed Jessica. "My brother - who is a one year old, my brother-in-law - Lucas Friar, and my future brother-in-law - Joshua Matthews. Who did you let take my son?!"_

"_He said he was your brother," she said. "He said his name was…Derrick."_

**KC's POV**

Officer James was over here about 20 minutes after I called the police.

"So I understand your son was kidnapped," he said.

"Yes, this woman let an unauthorized person take my son, Lucas Aaron Friar," I said, motioning to Jessica.

"Is this true ma'am?" Officer James asked.

"Well, yes, but," she said.

"But nothing!" I told her. "You let a dangerous man take my son!"

"You know the person that took your son?" Officer David, Officer James' partner asked.

"Yes, he's my ex," I said. "He abused me. I never let him near Aaron."

"What is his name?"

"Derrick John Davidson," I said. "I believe he has been stalking me since he got out of prison. He knew about my husband's surgery today and has approached me twice."

"Ma'am," Officer James said, turning to Jessica. "Are you aware it is illegal to allow an unauthorized person, that does not have written permission from the parent, to pick up any child?"

"He had proof," she said. "He showed me pictures of them. I guess he tricked me."

I shook my head, "I hope you lose your job for this."

"KC, is there anything on your son that could be used to track him?" I thought about it.

"Yes," I said. "His dad bought him a new watch. It has a tracker on it for just in case he lost it."

"What does it look like?"

"It's blue, his favorite color, and has Aquaman on the wristband," I said.

"How do you track it?"

"I have the app on my phone," I said. "How did I not think of this?"

"You're panicking," he said. "Don't worry, we're going to find him."

"Ms. Salazar," Officer David said to Jessica. "Did you happen to see what vehicle he was driving?"

"A white pickup truck," she said.

"Okay, I'll have to take your phone to track the watch," Officer James said. "Do you have another mean of contacting you?" Lucas and Josh walked in.

"Have they found him yet?" Lucas asked.

"No, we haven't, we are about to head out," Officer James said.

"Can I use your phone for a way for them to contact me?" I asked Luke. "They have to use mine to track him."

"Sure," he said.

"Can you write down your number for me?" Officer James asked him. Lucas wrote it down for him. "Try to go somewhere to relax." He looked at Jessica. Officer David went behind Jessica.

"Put your hands behind your back," he told her. She did. "You are under arrest for endangering the welfare of a child." He then read Jessica her Miranda Rights. They left, taking her with them.

"Where do you want to go?" Lucas asked me.

"The hospital," I said. "I need to talk to Farkle."

"I'll drive you," he said.

"I can drive," I said.

"I don't think you're in the condition to," he said. He was right. I was on the verge of having a mental breakdown. I made sure my car was locked and walked with him to his truck. It started to rain. He drove us to the hospital.

I went to Farkle's room.

"Hey babe," he said. He looked passed me. "Where's Aaron?" My eyes started to feel with tears. I sat down in the chair next to his bed. "What's wrong?" He asked concerned.

"Aaron, um," I looked down, holding back my tears, "was abducted from the daycare."

"What?" He asked. "Did you call the police?"

"Yes, they're tracking his watch with my phone," I said.

"Who abducted him?" I looked down again. He held my hand. "KC?"

"Derrick," I said. He had a look of shock and anger on his face. He squeezed my hand tightly. "Farkle," I said. "You're squeezing too tight, it's hurting my hand." He let go immediately.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't mean to hurt you."

"I know," I said. "It's okay." I grabbed hold of his hand again.

"I hope they find him," he said.

"Me too," I said.

"Why don't you go sit in the waiting room with Lucas and the others," Farkle said. "I'm really tired. Let me know if you hear anything."

"Okay. I love you," I said.

"I love you too," he said.

I walked to the waiting room. I saw Rachel sitting next to Lucas. She stood up and gave me a hug.

"Hey, it's going to be okay," she reassured me.

"Thank you, Rachel," I said. I finally let my tears fall. "It feels like everything is falling apart, and there's nothing I can do about it. I don't know all of what Derrick is capable of. What if he hurts Aaron?! What if he k—" I couldn't say it. "He's my everything! If I lose him, I don't know what I'll do."

"Don't think about that," Rachel said. "Just hope and believe that the police will find him soon." I sat down next to her and laid my head on her shoulder like I used to when I was a kid.

"Where's Riley and Maya?" I asked after a bit.

"Riley's with Auggie," Cory said. "Maya is with Josh at the giftshop getting Auggie and Farkle _get well soon_ cards."

"That's nice of them," I said.

"How's Farkle doing?" Lucas asked.

"He seemed to feel better, and he's on pain meds," I said. "He felt tired, so I left to let him sleep."

We sat there in silence for a bit.

**Riley's POV**

"Did they find Aaron yet?" Auggie asked.

"I don't know, Aug," I said.

"I hope they find him soon," Auggie said. "That Derrick guy is a jerk."

"Yeah, he is," I agreed. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm feeling okay," he said.

"Good," I said.

**KC's POV**

Lucas' phone started to ring. He immediately handed it to me.

"Hello?" I answered.

"_KC?_" Officer James asked.

"This is she," I said.

"_We found Lucas Aaron_," he said.

"Oh, thank God!" I said, smiling and looking up. Lucas and the others became happy too.

"_We'll need you to meet us at the ER at Mercy Hospital_," he said. "_The paramedics will be bring him in_." My smile faded. They noticed.

"The _ER_?" I asked.

"_Yes, we'll explain when we get there_," Officer James' said. "_Until then, goodbye, KC._" He hung up. My heart broke again.

"I," I said, clearing my throat. "I have to get to the ER. They're bringing Aaron in."

Rachel and Lucas went with me to the ER waiting room. Cory and Topanga said they'd let Maya know what was going on.

After a bit Maya and Josh came in. We sat there waiting. The doors finally opened and they rushed someone in on a gurney. It was Aaron. Before I could get the best look at him, they took him back. I tried following.

"Ma'am you can't go back there," one of the paramedics said.

"I'm his mother," I said.

"Do we have your permission to perform an MRI to assess the damage?" He asked.

"Yes," I answered him. He rushed through the doors.

Another gurney came through the ER doors. They passed me. I didn't bother to look at who it was, I knew who it was. Derrick. I could tell because the person was handcuffed to the gurney.

Officer James came into the waiting room.

"What happened to Aaron?" I asked.

"We caught up to the truck," he said. "We ordered him to pull over. He didn't. It looked like there was a struggle in the vehicle. We ordered him to pull over again, with no vise. Suddenly, the door opened and Aaron was thrown out of the vehicle. I immediately called for paramedics, stopping my vehicle. The backup went after the perp and shot his tires and he flipped the vehicle. Unfortunately, when he was thrown out of the vehicle, he fell headfirst and his head hit the pavement."

"Oh my gosh," I said, putting my hand over my mouth, tears starting to form in my eyes. My legs gave out underneath me. Lucas and Maya caught me before I fell. They helped me sit down.

"If it makes you feel better, Aaron did quite a number on the kidnapper," Officer James said. "He broke his nose and knocked his shoulder out of place while fighting back." I smiled a little.

After a short amount of time, a doctor came out.

"Are you Lucas Friar's mother?" He asked.

"Yes," I said. "Lucas Aaron Friar."

"Lucas Aaron has an open and depressed skull fracture," he said. "We need to do immediate surgery to repair the fracture. I will be the head-surgeon. Do we have your permission to perform the surgery?"

"Yes," I said.

**Farkle's POV**

KC came to my room.

"Hey, did they find Aaron?"

"Yeah," she said. "He's in surgery right now."

I raised my eyebrows. "Surgery?!"

She exhaled. "Yeah, Derrick threw him out of the vehicle and he got an open and depressed skull fracture."

"Who does that to a child?!" I asked angrily.

"I know, right?" She said with tears in her eyes. I grabbed her hand.

"I'm sure he'll be fine," I assured her. "He's strong, just like his mom."

She laughed a little. "And brave like his daddy." We interlocked our fingers. "Apparently, he gave Derrick a broken nose and a dislocated shoulder."

"That's our boy!" I said happily.

"I don't know when you're going to ask him now," KC said.

"When the time is right," I said. "I hope he'll be fine with me adopting him."

"You're kidding, right?" She asked. "He adores you." We started praying together for Aaron.

**Lucas' POV**

Mr. & Mrs. Minkus and Shawn & Katy were now with us in the waiting room. I saw some policemen escorting Derrick towards the exit of the hospital. Katy must have noticed too because a second after I noticed him, she stood up out of her chair. She approached him.

"What kind of monster are you?!" She questioned him. The cops didn't stop her. "First you abuse my daughter and make her life a living _hell_; then you stalk her and take and throw her son, my _grandson_, out of a moving vehicle!" She was angry. "I _hope_ there is a special place in hell for you."

"Listen _hag_," he said in a nasty way. Maya held Shawn back from attacking him right there. "Your daughter is a _weak_, _worthless_, _nothing_. She deserved what she got. She obviously learned to be that way from _someone_." She slapped him. "_Ow_," he said. "You know what would make me happy? If that little brat…" He leaned closer to her, "died." Even the cops seemed angry by that comment. I walked up to him. Katy stepped aside.

"Shut up!" I told him. "If my nephew dies, I will _personally_ put you six-feet under!"

"Let's go, punk!" Said one of the policemen. They shoved him to make him walk. They walked out the door.

**KC's POV**

I went back to the ER waiting room. I had left because I needed to clear my head. God and Farkle are the only ones that can help me do that. I was with Farkle for three hours.

"Is there any news on Aaron's condition?" I asked. Mom, Shawn, and my in-laws were now here.

"No, sweetie," mom said.

"Huckleberry went Texas Lucas on Derrick, though," Maya said.

"What does she mean?" I asked Lucas.

"Derrick said he would be happy if Aaron died," Rachel said. "Lucas said if he died, he would put Derrick six-feet under."

The surgeon came out.

"The surgery was a success," he said. "He is in a recovery room. He woke out of the anesthesia about 20 minutes ago. There is one thing you need to know."

"What is that?" I asked.

"He has acquired post-traumatic hearing loss," he said. "We will have our audiologist test tomorrow to see exactly where his hearing is at."

"He's hearing-impaired?" I asked.

"Yes, it may be temporary or permanent," he said. "The best option, right now, after our audiologist does the test tomorrow, is to get him hearing aids."

"Thank you for telling me," I said.

"We have been writing back and forth with him," he said. "He is very bright. In a bit, you may go visit him, but please, one by one, we wouldn't want to overwhelm him."

"Thank you, Doctor," I said. He left the waiting room.

I sat down. I ran my hand through my hair.

"He's okay," Rachel said.

"Yeah, he's okay," I said. I closed my eyes and whispered "Thank you," to God.

_**Author's Note: **__Two more episodes left in this season. Hope you've liked this season! _


	36. Chapter 36: Girl Meets Passion

_**[June 19**__**th**__**, 2020]**_

**Riley's POV**

We went to my dad's class.

"Hey everybody!" Dad said.

"Hey," a few people said.

"Today, I'm going to have you all retell your plans and we will see if they have changed," dad said. "Who's first?" I raised my hand. "Riley." I went to the front of the room.

"Before, I was planning on going to NYU in the Fall, not knowing what my major would be," I said. "I ended up deciding on childhood education."

"So you're going to NYU for Childhood education?" Dave asked.

"No," I said. "I've decided to take, _at the least_, a gap year," I said. "I'd still like to go at some point, but I have bigger priorities," I looked down at my bump, "that need my attention. I will also be getting married within a year or so, but we're not sure yet." I looked over at my dad. We told our parents after our first ultrasound.

"Thank you Riley," dad said. "Who's next?"

"I'll go," Maya said.

"Okay, Maya," dad said.

"I will be going to Tyler School of Art in the Fall," she said. "Before that I will be getting married on July 25th."

"Alright, who's next?"

"We'll go, sir," Zay said, motioning to Smackle.

"Go ahead," dad said.

"I will be enlisting in the US Air Force after graduation," Zay said.

"And I will be going to Princeton," Smackle said.

"How are you going to make that work?" Yogi asked.

"Video chatting, phone calls, letters," Zay said.

"Hard work and hope," Smackle said. She smiled at him.

"And love," Zay said staring at her. They stood there staring at each other.

"Earth to Zackle," dad said. They snapped out of it. "Who's next?"

"We'll go," KC said. Farkle and KC went up to the front.

"How is Aaron doing?" Dad asked them.

"Aaron's pain from the operation has subsided but he has to relax and not do things that could affect his head, which includes playing drums, which upsets him," she said. "He's staying at his Grandma Rachel's house during the day."

"How are you here, Farkle?" Sarah asked. "Shouldn't you be at home, you know, getting better?"

"I felt well enough to come," he said. "Everyone heals differently."

"Your plans?" Dad asked, getting the conversation back on track.

"Well, we both will be going to NYU for music," KC said.

"Except, she is going for music vocal, and I am going for Music Technology and Composition," Farkle said. "And Aaron will be starting Kindergarten this Fall."

"My heart," KC joked, putting her hand on her chest.

Dad laughed and said "Who's next?"

**Maya's POV**

We headed to art class after Cory's class. I've been feeling different in class for a while.

"Morning class," Mr. Jackson said. "Today, I want you to paint what passion is to you."

"What do you mean by that?" Lucas asked.

"Paint something you're passionate about," Mr. Jackson said. "You can have more than one passion. Like I'm passionate about being a father and a husband, but also passionate about painting and teaching. Teaching, I believe, is my calling."

I began painting, not knowing what it was going to be.

Mr. Jackson went around the room to see what everyone was painting. He stopped at me.

"Ms. Hunter, I would like to see you after class," he told me, and moved on to the next person.

_Does he not like what I'm painting?_ I thought to myself.

After class, I stayed behind.

"You wanted to see me?" I asked.

"Yes," he said getting up from his seat. He went to his bag and pulled out an envelope. "This came to the school for you." He looked like he was holding back a smile. He handed me the envelope and I took it. I left the classroom.

**KC's POV**

Farkle and I went to work and Maya was sitting in one of the lounge chairs with her eyes fixed on an envelope she was holding. I went over to Riley.

"Hey, what's up with Maya?" I asked.

"I don't know," Riley said. "She just ordered a smoothie and took out that envelope." Curious, all three of us went over to her. No customers, except for her, were there.

"What you got there?" Riley asked. Maya looked up and saw us.

"Oh, um, Mr. Jackson gave me this after class," Maya said. "But I'm hesitant to open it."

"Open it," I said. She nodded and blew out a nervous breath. She tore open the envelope and started reading the paper inside.

"What does it say?" Farkle asked.

"It says:

_Ms. Maya Hunter, _

_We would like for you to attend our Young Artists' banquet in Paris, France on the date of 19 July 2020 at 6pm. We would like to showcase a piece of your work at the Banquet. You may bring a plus one. All expenses will be paid for travel, as well as room and board. You have been recognized by your instructor, Mr. James Jackson, as one of his most gifted artists that he has 'had the pleasure of teaching for a total of nearly four years,' and asked us to consider inviting you. With much consideration, we have chosen you to accompany your fellow Artists at our 2020 Banquet. _

_If you are planning to attend, please fill out the RSVP and send it back to us in the return envelope we have provided._

_Sincerely,_

_ Madeline Charpentier_

_ United Artists International_."

She finished reading.

"Are you going to go?" I asked.

"I don't know," she said.

"Maya, you'd be crazy not to go," Riley said.

"Ri, don't say stuff like that," I said, looking at Riley. I looked at Maya. "It _is_ a great opportunity, but it's your choice."

"Thanks, KC," Maya said.

"No problem," I said.

"I think I'm going to talk to Josh before I make my decision," she said. "It's only six days before our wedding."

"That's a good idea," Farkle said. He and I went up to the stage to start performing.

**Maya's POV**

Josh picked me up for our date. We went to Central Park for a picnic.

"Hey, so I need to talk to you about something," I said.

"What's up?" He asked, unpacking the picnic basket.

"So, I was invited to a young artists' banquet," I said. "And I'm not sure I should go."

"That's awesome!" He said, excitedly. "You should."

"Well, here's the thing," I said. I hesitated.

"I'm listening."

"It's in Paris, France," I said. "And it's six days before our wedding."

"Oh," he said. "That's why you wanted to talk to me."

"Yeah," I said.

"Well, I still think you should go," he said.

"What if I don't want to?" I asked, meaning that to be a thought.

"Why wouldn't you want to?" He asked, confused. "If you think you're not good enough, you are. They wouldn't invite you if they didn't think you were good enough."

"It's not that," I said.

"Then what is it?" he asked.

"You really think I should go?" I asked.

"Yes," he said.

"You want to go with me?" I asked. "They said I can have a plus one."

"I'd love to," he said. "We'll have plenty of time to get back for the wedding."

"I love you," I said.

"I love you too," he said, kissing me.

"We're going to Paris," I said.

"The most romantic city in the world," Josh said, leaning in to kiss me again.

_**Author's Note: **__So I had thought about breaking up Zackle for good but changed my mind. I'm in a long distance relationship so I thought it'd be cool to add them having one, especially with it having a noble reason. _

_**After this Season is over, I will be doing a Joshaya-centric in-between-seasons fanfiction. It will be cannon with these stories. After that, I will start Season 7. One more episode in this season! **_


	37. Chapter 37: Girl Meets Graduation

_**[June 26**__**th**__**, 2020] **_

**Riley's POV**

I woke up to my alarm at 6am. I turned over and saw Auggie sound asleep next to me. Somehow my alarm didn't wake him up.

Today is the last day of school and the day of our graduation.

I went to the bathroom to take a shower, then went down to the kitchen after getting dressed. Our graduation is at 2pm. Everyone gets out of school at noon.

"Morning sweetie," mom said.

"Morning mom," I said.

"How did you sleep?" Mom asked. "I noticed Auggie went to sleep in your room at about midnight."

"I slept well," I said. "He's still asleep."

"_They_ didn't give you any trouble?" Mom asked, nodding to my bump.

"Huh, no," I said. I didn't realize that. I smiled remembering the day we told our parent that we're pregnant.

_ Andrew and I went down to the living room, where my parents and his mom were._

_ "So what do we owe the pleasure of having Joanne here?" Mom asked._

_ "We have something to tell you," I said. _

_ I looked at Andrew and we decided to say it together. _

_ "We're—"We started._

_ "Pregnant?" Mom asked. _

_ "Wait," I said. "You knew?"_

_ "Now we do," mom said. "We suspected for a while."_

_ "You're both adults," dad said. "I'm disappointed that you didn't wait, but it's over and done with." He walked up to Andrew. "I can trust you with my daughter, you have already proved that. If I didn't know you as well as I do, I would be going crazy on you."_

_ "You didn't let us finish," I said. I took the ultrasounds out of my backpack and handed them out. "We're pregnant…with twins." Mom got a big smile on her face. Joanne did too. Dad smiled warmly._

"What are you thinking about?" Mom asked.

"The day we told you guys," I said.

"Oh," she said. "What do you want for breakfast?"

"Do we have any pickles?" I asked.

"Yes."

"May we have some?" I asked.

"Sure," she said getting into the fridge.

"Can I make some waffles?" I asked.

"Please tell me you're not going to put the pickles in them," she said. I stayed silent. "You're cravings are the weirdest I have _ever _heard of."

"I know," I said. I started making the waffle batter.

Auggie came into the kitchen.

"Oo, what are you making?" He asked.

"Waffles," I said.

"Can I have some?" He asked.

"I wouldn't," mom said. "She's putting pickles in them."

"Ew," Auggie said. I rolled my eyes.

**Maya's POV**

We went to Mr. Matthews class, which was just a homeroom class.

"Hey guys!" Cory said. "You all are graduating today. New lives are ahead of you." He looked around at all of us. "For the first half of the school day I would like you all to reflect on what we have went over through these last four years." We all started talking. "Wait, I'm not done," he said. "The second half, I'd like you all to go talk to your teachers and tell them how they have impacted you."

**Josh's POV**

At about 10pm, and Andrew and I went to the mall to find presents for our fiancées.

"What do you think Riley would like?" Andrew asked.

"You're her fiancé, should you know what she likes?" I asked.

"What are you getting for Maya?" He asked.

"I'm not sure," I admitted.

"So we're in the same boat then."

"Yeah, I guess we are."

**Maya's POV**

I went to Mr. Jackson's classroom and he went to the hall to talk to me.

"You helped me build my confidence in myself," I told him. "You helped me be a great artist."

"You were already a great artist, Maya," he said. "You just needed to believe in yourself." He put his hand on my shoulder. "That's why I recommended you for that banquet. I hope that you accepted the invitation."

"I did," I said. I got lost in my thoughts again. _What if there's more for me than this?_ I thought.

"I think this will help you," he said. "It will help you get to where you want to be. It did for me."

"You were a recipient?" I asked.

"Yeah," he said. "I was invited when I was around your age."

"Wow," I said.

**Lucas' POV**

"Lucas, why didn't you leave with everyone else?" Mr. Matthews asked.

"I want to thank _you_, sir," I said. "You lessons impacted me more than any other teachers' lessons ever have."

"Well, I'm glad to hear that, Mr. Friar," he said. "You all have impacted me a lot too. Especially _you_, Lucas."

"How have I impacted you, sir?"

"You taught me to be more calm, to be level-headed," he said. "And you have always been the voice of reason of your group."

"Thank you, sir," I said.

**Farkle's POV**

I went to my theatre instructor.

"Ms. James," I said. "May I speak with you?"

"Of course, Farkle," she said.

"I wanted to thank you for allowing me to grow in the theatre and for giving me voice lessons to strengthen my voice."

"It was my pleasure, Farkle," she told me.

"I can't believe I'm leaving this place today," I said.

"Well, I can," she said. "I can't wait to see where you'll go."

**Riley's POV**

I wrote letters out to all of my teachers, including my dad, and left them in their mail boxes in the teachers' lounge.

**Shawn's POV**

I walked into our apartment after I got back from the store to get Maya's present.

"Hey Katy, someone parked in my spot," I said. I walked into our bedroom where I saw Katy and Rachel in their dresses. Aaron, Angela, and Johnathan were sitting on the bed, already in their outfits.

"Does that _upset_ you, Shawn?" Rachel joked.

"Hey, Rach," I said.

"Hey, Shawn," I said. "Can you believe our kids are graduating?"

"I can't," I said. "They have grown up too fast."

"Please take your time, Aaron," Rachel said. "We only have thirteen years 'til _he_ graduates."

"Same to the two of you," Katy joked, looking at Ang and John.

"So is Eric going to the graduation?" Rachel asked.

"Yeah," I said. "His niece is graduating, he wouldn't miss it for the world."

"Is Jack and his wife going?" Rachel asked.

"Yeah, he's his own boss, so he could give himself the day off," I said. "He's gotten pretty successful."

"Yeah, I know," she said. "I saw his face on a bus."

"Should we get to the graduation?" Katy asked.

"Yeah we should," I said.

**Riley's POV**

"Welcome to the Graduation of the Class of 2020 from Abigail Adams High," Principal Jones said into the microphone. Everybody started cheering. "Parents please meet you child as their name is called." He cleared his throat. _Pomp and Circumstance_ began to play. "Isaiah Babineaux, Jr.; son of Isaiah and Christina Babineaux."

Zay walked up to meet his parents. He hugged them and stood with them while some people took pictures of them. Then he walked to his seat.

"Brandon Davis Benjamin; son of Daniel and Natalie Benjamin," Principal Jones said.

Brandon hugged his parents and went to his seat.

"Jade Bure; daughter of Sandra and David Bure."

Jade followed suit.

"Sarah Jennette Carpenter; daughter of David Carpenter." (D.W. Preminger is an alias)

Sarah straighten her glasses and walked to her dad, hugging him.

"Marley Evans; daughter of Walter and Celina Evans."

Marley hugged her parents. You could tell she was adopted, because she didn't look like either of them, but she obviously doesn't care.

"Lucas Tristan Friar; son of Rachel McGuire," Principal Jones continued.

Lucas speed walked to hug his mom. Lucas walked to his seat.

"Maya Penelope Hunter; daughter of Katy and Shawn Hunter."

Even though I couldn't see it, I knew she had the biggest smile on her face. She walked to Shawn at Katy and hugged them. Katy kissed her on the head. She walked to her seat, next to Lucas.

"Riley Rhiannon Matthews," Principal Jones announced. I started walking to my parents who were already waiting in the middle for me. "Daughter of Cory and Topanga Matthews." I hugged them. We posed for some pictures, while Shawn did a photo-op.

"Farkle Patrick Minkus; son of Stuart and Jennifer Minkus, Step-Father to Lucas Aaron Friar." (Jennifer told us after showing us his birth certificate that they decided to name him after Shawn with his middle name)

Farkle walked to his parents and gave them a tearful hug. He then wrapped Aaron in a bearhug. Then he sat by me.

"Katy Carmela Minkus; daughter of Shawn and Katy Hunter, Mother of Lucas Aaron Friar."

KC walked up to her parents and son and gave them all a hug with a huge smile on her face. Farkle smiled, watching them. He filed for adoption a few days ago. He was told that it will take three months for it to become final.

"David A. Rogers; son of Richard and Meredith Rogers."

Dave went to hug his parents, then took his seat.

"William Daniel Ross; son of Justin Ross."

Billy hugged his dad and walked to his seat.

"Isadora Isabella Smackle; daughter of Shamus Smackle," Principal Jones said.

Smackle walked to her dad and he stretched his hand out to her. She went in for a hug instead. They both smiled.

"Darby Walker; daughter of Daniel and Victoria Walker."

Darby walked to her parents and hugged them, them posed for pictures with them while her family took them. She walked away from them and took her seat.

"Nicholas Yogi; son of Nathan Yogi," Principal announced, Yogi being the last student.

Yogi hugged his dad and went to his seat.

KC sang the National Anthem.

Uncle Jon went to the microphone.

"Welcome everybody!" He said, happily. "So glad you could all join these young men and women as they graduate into the real world!" He smiled as he looked around. "For those of you that don't know, I am Superintendent Johnathan Turner. Now, Riley Matthews will introduce the guest speaker that this class picked out themselves." I went up to the podium.

"Our guest speaker, this afternoon, is a man that we have looked up to for years," I said. "He has taught us what hard work is and that no matter how deep in you are you can always get out. Please help me welcome, our guest speaker, Harley Keiner!" He walked up to the podium, and I took my seat again.

"Thank you, Little Zippy," he said. I smiled at him. "Now, when I was asked to be the guest speaker at this, here, graduation, I was—how do I put it?—_astounded_. Usually you see people pick someone that is, in the general definition, successful, to do this stuff," he said. Some people laughed. He laughed with them. "Yeah, I'm not successful in most peoples' eyes." He let out a small laugh. "But you know something?" He asked. "Everybody sees success differently." He let his smile fall some.

"Now, I grew up in Pennsylvania with an alcoholic and rather, absent, father. My mother left us shortly after my sister, Theresa, was born, because the cancer was too strong for her. When my sister was 8, our low-life father ditched her at a Phillies game. I picked her up, and from that day, I decided to watch out for her. Then came the day when I met someone that, unbeknownst to me, would change my life forever. That person was Johnny Baboon, or as you all know him… Cory Matthews. I was a bully, one of my targets happened to be him. But one thing he told me stuck with me to this day. It didn't mean much back then, but it hit harder later in life." He looked completely serious now.

"He told me 'I gave you a chance to change your whole future, and not be a guy who beats up kids who are smaller than you for the rest of your life.' I didn't realize how important and true this was until later on." He looked back and smiled at my dad.

"I'd like to say I was once where you are today, but it would be a lie. I was in my senior year for I don't remember how many years. I dropped out and went to jail a couple of times. I gave up on myself and my life. One day, while in New York, I found out Matthews got married and moved here and was teaching at one of the schools. I took my chances and went to his apartment. I knocked on his door. He answered and recognized me right away, and invited me in. I immediately broke down and started apologizing and begging for his help, for _any_ help. Surprising me, he said he'd see what he could do. I then discovered that he had a little girl. He helped me study for the GED test, and I passed and got my certificate. He then talked to the Superintendent and got me the job as the custodian at John Quincy Adams middle school. That was _fifteen_ years ago. I am successful because I am not who I was then. If I leave anything with you today, let it be this: People _really do_ change people. I am living proof of that. If you have a chance to change someone for the better_, take it_. You may completely turn everything around for them. Thank you."

He walked back to his seat.

**Farkle's POV**

"Now the Valedictorian, Farkle Minkus will give his speech," Superintendent Turner said.

I went up to the podium and looked at my class.

"'_That person who helps others simply because it should or must be done, and because it is the right thing to do, is indeed, without a doubt, a real superhero'_— Stan Lee," I began. "Hello friends, family, and my fellow graduates. Thank you all for coming. Although, I am extremely grateful for all of you, I must thank God the most because he led me to where I am today. I met some of you at a very young age. Riley and Maya, I met when I still wore glasses. Isadora, I met at a science convention. And I met most of you in first or second grade." They laughed.

"I met others later on in middle school. Lucas and Zay. These people became my friends. In freshman year, I met Marley. Honestly, I never saw myself being friends with her. Sophomore year, I met the girl who I didn't realize at the time, would be the love of my life. KC changed my life completely. I was already protective of my friends, but I became ready to be beaten to death if it meant that she was safe, or in other words, beat to Smithereens. You can thank Twenty One Pilots for that view point," Everyone laughed.

"Marley and KC were best friends, and Marley and I became friends because of that. Also through KC, I gained a son, and he is the most amazing kid I have ever met. I'd like to think that I am a real superhero in the sense of Stan Lee's definition of it. I've stood up against real life villians and I never backed down no matter what I knew could happen," I looked at KC and Lucas, "and I have given someone a better chance of life," I looked at Auggie, "and I wouldn't take any of it back. I know all of you are capable of doing the same, of being real superheroes. So as we go out into the world, let us all shine our light and do the work as real life superheroes. Thank you."

Everybody clapped and cheered. I smiled.

**Maya's POV**

We watched the slideshow and laughed and awed at pictures of us when we were younger. Then they called our names to receive our diplomas. After that we gathered in a circle.

"I am pleased to present to you the graduating class of 2020!" Mr. Jones exclaimed. We threw our hats in the air as our class song played.

_**[Crossfade to them being in **_**Topanga's**_**]**_

We're at our graduation party. KC and Farkle are up on the stage singing. They finished the song they were doing.

"We're graduated!" KC yelled through the mic.

"Speech! Speech! Speech!" All of our classmates said, started by me.

KC laughed. "I, honestly, never thought I'd ever get here. But I'm glad I was able to do so." _That's it?_ I thought.

"So this next song it to all of you," Farkle said.

"And our friend Marley will be playing drums with us tonight!" KC said. Marley went up on the stage and sat at the drum set.

"This song is called _Strangers_," Farkle said. They started playing.

_**I came here looking for another excuse/ To run away from something beautiful/ It's like it's driving me closer to you/ Every step back pulls me right back to you**_

**Time stands still and it's**_** only us/ **_**What we feel started**_** way before we ever touched/ **_**Just imagine**_** only us/ **_**Yeah, you found me**_** right before I'd given up**_

**I just saw the lightning strike/ Knew it right then when I looked in your eyes/ And I said to myself, "It's no surprise we ain't strangers"/ Strangers tonight/ Must be from a different life/ **

Farkle looked at Riley and I.

**Been here before and it just feels right/ No, this ain't the first time for you and I, we ain't strangers/ Strangers tonight**_**/ **__Strangers__** (strangers)/ **__Strangers__** (strangers)/ **_**Strangers tonight**_**/ **__Strangers__** (strangers)/ **__Strangers__** (strangers)/ **_**Strangers tonight**

I looked over and noticed Rachel and Eric glanced at each other. _Hmmm_, I thought.

_You'll say my name like it's been on your lips/ Familiar in ways I can't explain/ You got a heart that I knew I can miss/ Hold me like that and pull me right back again_

**Time stands still and it's**_ only us/ _**What we feel started**_ way before we ever touched/ _

KC looked at the twins.

**Just imagine**_ only us/ _**Yeah, you found me**_ right before I'd given up_

**I just saw the lightning strike/ Knew it right then when I looked in your eyes/ And I said to myself, "It's no surprise we ain't strangers"/ Strangers tonight/ Must be from a different life/ Been here before and it just feels right/**

KC looked at mom and I. I looked over again and Eric and Rachel were taking glances at each other again.

**No, this ain't the first time for you and I, we ain't strangers/ Strangers tonight**_**/ **__Strangers__** (strangers)/ **__Strangers__** (strangers)/ **_**Strangers tonight**_**/ **__Strangers__** (strangers)/ **__Strangers__** (strangers)/ **_**Strangers tonight**

**No one's POV **_**[The music is playing in the background as these scenes unfold]**_

Lucas is at the Subway ready to leave for Texas (day after graduation) with Taylor. He hugged his mom first. Them he hugged, KC, Farkle, and Aaron. He hugged Aaron the longest of the three. He hugged Zay. He looked over at Riley and smiled. He hugged her.

**KC's POV**

I started singing the bridge.

_I came here looking for another excuse/ To run away from something beautiful/ It's like it's driving me closer to you/ Every step back PULLED ME RIGHT BACK_

**No one's POV **

Lucas and Taylor got on the subway with their suitcases. As the subway pulled away they all watched, waving goodbye.

**I just saw the lightning strike/ Knew it right then when I looked in your eyes/ And I said to myself, "It's no surprise we ain't strangers"/ Strangers tonight/ Must be from a different life/ Been here before and it just feels right/ No, this ain't the first time for you and I, we ain't strangers/ Strangers tonight**_**/ **__Strangers__** (strangers)/ **__Strangers__** (strangers)/ **_**Strangers tonight**_**/ **__Strangers__** (strangers)/ **__Strangers__** (strangers)/ **_**Strangers tonight**

_**Author's Note: **__Well, that's the end of Season 6! Hope you liked it! Before Season 7, I will be doing a Maya/Joshaya (cannon with these fanfics) fanfic that will be set in between the seasons. The title will be __**How Do I Get There From Here?**_ _I hope you'll read and like it as much as you do the others!_


	38. Author's Note:

_**Hey guys, so I'll start writing "How Do I get There From Here?" Soon. It will probably only be a few to several Chapters. It will be like a movie.**_

_**I realized that Mr. Turner's name is spelled as Jonathan, not Johnathan. I'm going to keep Johnathan Hunter's name spelled as is, because you can name your kid after someone and change the spelling, like how my mom named me after Catherine the Great, but my name is spelled Kathryn. **_


End file.
